Born on July 11, 1966, Nigel Muranganwa Kudzai Chanakira attended St. John’s and Churchill Boys High Schools in Zimbabwe. He holds a Bachelor of Science (Honors) in Economics and a Master’s in Economics from the University of Zimbabwe. He also earned a banking diploma. Founded Kingdom Financial Holdings Ltd. in 1994 with four partners. The company grew into one of Zimbabwe’s largest financial services firms. Kingdom Bank became a pioneer in Zimbabwe’s banking industry, introducing innovations like same-day ATM cards.
In 2007, Kingdom merged with Meikles Africa to form Kingdom Meikles Africa, one of the largest companies on the ZSE. Following disputes over shareholding, Chanakira exited the merger in 2011, leading to the re-establishment of Kingdom Financial Holdings. Nigel Chanakira is the Executive Chairman of Success Motivation Institute (Africa) since 2002, promoting personal and professional development and also former Non-Executive Chairperson of the Zimbabwe Investment Authority (2010–2016).
Nigel Chanakira is celebrated as one of Zimbabwe’s most influential business figures. His entrepreneurial spirit and resilience have left a lasting impact on Zimbabwe’s financial landscape.
