In an interview with Techpression, the software engineer and Y Combinator alumna details her journey from Zambia to Silicon Valley and her mission to transform cross-border payments.
Salifyanji J Namwila is a study in contrasts: a software engineer with strong ties to Zambia, an Ivy League graduate tackling a profoundly African problem, and a visionary builder using blockchain not for speculation but for practical, life-changing financial inclusion.
She is the founder and driving force behind Devdraft, a Y Combinator-backed fintech startup redefining how Africa participates in global commerce.
In a conversation with Techpression, Namwila shared the personal story behind Devdraft, her philosophy on innovation, and her unwavering belief in Africa’s digital future.
The formative years: A foundation built on two continents
Namwila’s journey began in Zambia, a background that continues to inform her mission deeply. Her academic excellence paved the way to Dartmouth College, an Ivy League institution in the United States, where she immersed herself in computer science and emerged as a Tech Lead in the blockchain community.
“At Dartmouth, I was deep in the weeds of Ethereum and crypto development,” she told Techpression. “It was a theoretical passion then, but it planted the seed for solving a very real problem I would encounter later.”
That theoretical knowledge was honed into professional expertise through roles as a software engineer at Microsoft and Amazon.
Yet, as she explained, the spark for entrepreneurship came from personal frustration during a visit to her hometown, Zambia.
The Devdraft Breakthrough: Solving a personal pain point
“The inspiration for Devdraft came from a simple, failed attempt to pay my rent in Zambia from the U.S.,” Namwila recounted. “The process was impossible, and when it finally worked, the fees were exorbitant. It was unlike the seamless experience I had in the U.S.”
She discovered that this friction was systemic. “I learned that the biggest fintechs in Africa are built through intermediaries, partnering with banks and SWIFT. Each intermediary adds cost, leading to those 5-8% transaction fees that stifle small businesses.”
She saw a clear solution where others saw only complexity: blockchain. “The technology is inherently borderless, fast, and low-cost. It was the key to leapfrogging the legacy system entirely.”
The Devdraft Vision: More than a payment app
Further, Namwila framed Devdraft’s mission around three core freedoms: “the freedom to receive, the freedom to hold, and the freedom to spend money globally, at a low cost.”
Under her leadership, Devdraft is more than a payment processor; it’s a comprehensive financial platform:
1. A Global, Remote Bank: A single wallet for borderless transactions.
2. An SME Powerhouse: Integrated tools for invoicing, analytics, and e-commerce.
3. A Tool for Inclusion: Democratising access by allowing users to hold stable assets like USD and EUR, shielding them from local currency volatility.
Backed by Y Combinator (W24), Devdraft is currently proving its model in Zambia and Malawi markets, where currency volatility makes the value proposition most apparent. It has ambitious plans for pan-African expansion.
An advocate for sensible innovation in Africa
Namwila also advocated for sensible cryptocurrency regulation in Africa. She argued that technologies like stablecoins are essential tools for economic growth, not just speculative assets.
Her advice to policymakers, shared in her Techpression interview, is to engage, not ignore. “This is another industrial age,” she stated.
“The best we can really do is try to understand the technology, as opposed to ignoring that it’s there. Whether or not you acknowledge it, it’s still going to be there.”
She believes the role of a modern African entrepreneur is to be a bridge—connecting cutting-edge technology with real-world problems and linking global investment with local talent.
Finally, for Salifyanji J Namwila, Devdraft is more than a company; it’s a mission to architect a more connected and equitable financial infrastructure for Africa. Her story, as told to Techpression, is a powerful reminder that the most impactful innovations are often born from a desire to solve the simple, profound problems of home.
Techpression Media is a leading technology publication focused on telling the African technology story and providing knowledge about technology growth across the continent.