Born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, he moved to South Africa where he founded his first company and gained valuable experience. Now based in the United States, he has successfully launched several other companies, operating both in Africa and in other rapidly growing global markets.

Elijah Lubala (photo) is a Congolese computer scientist and tech entrepreneur who serves as the founder and CEO of Tuma, a company addressing the lack of payment infrastructure in high-growth emerging markets.

Founded in 2022, Tuma offers users a simple, fast payment solution that transforms their phones into a fully functional payment gateway. Through a strategic partnership with UBA, a bank operating in 20 African countries, Tuma enables card payments and digital transactions, supporting small merchants’ growth. The startup also collaborates with financial institutions such as Credit Bank Kenya, InTouch, Appiawave, Cellulant, and Seerbit.

Elijah is also the founder of Attila Group, a private investment firm established in 2013, focused on real estate, technology, and venture capital. Initially based in South Africa, Attila Group later relocated its headquarters to New York, USA. Additionally, he is the founder and Chief Commercial Officer of Elie Technologies Corporation, a company delivering essential products and services tailored to the needs of emerging markets.

Elijah’s entrepreneurial journey began in 2007 with the creation of Sofet Entertainment in South Africa, a company specializing in event production, where he served as Chief Commercial Officer for two years. Afterward, he worked as an executive producer at New Vision Studio. In 2012, he joined Airtel DRC as a junior software engineer before taking on the role of senior software engineer in the Gauteng Department of Infrastructure Development in South Africa from 2013 to 2015.

Academically, Elijah holds a degree in Computer Science and Information Systems, specializing in enterprise systems, application development, and networking, earned in 2015 from Monash University.

In recognition of his entrepreneurial achievements, Elijah Lubala was named to the prestigious Forbes Africa 30 Under 30 list in 2017, highlighting his contributions to the tech industry and the African business landscape.

By Melchior Koba,

Editing by Sèna D. B. de Sodji