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By Rasheedat Oladotun-Iliyas
(Image credit: Google search)
The AfricaNenda Foundation has released its 2025 Annual Report, revealing what it described as a breakthrough year for Africa’s Inclusive Instant Payment Systems (IIPS). The report documents record-speed national launches, bold continental policy action, and growing transaction volumes, indicating that interoperable, real-time payments are increasingly becoming a reality across the continent.
According to the report, AfricaNenda supported seven IIPS implementation and improvement initiatives in 2025 and helped bring two national systems live. These developments, it noted, demonstrate that interoperable, real-time payment infrastructure can be deployed within months when backed by strong central bank leadership and coordinated partnerships.
“We have broken the myth that national payment systems must take three to four years to launch,” said Dr Robert Ochola. “In 2025, we moved decisively from preparation to execution. The technology works. The partnerships work. Local ownership is strong. And most importantly, the impact is real.”
The foundation highlighted its support for the rollout of Liberia’s mobile money-based instant payment system, which was deployed in just 73 days—one of the fastest national implementations on the continent. The system began with government-to-person salary payments, enabling public servants to receive wages in under a minute, and has since expanded to person-to-person transactions. Since its launch, the platform has processed nearly one million transactions valued at over 11 million dollars, with zero downtime.
“Liberia’s experience shows that speed and quality are not mutually exclusive,” said Akinwale Goodluck. “When leadership and partnerships are aligned and execution is disciplined, transformation happens quickly.”
In Rwanda, AfricaNenda supported the modernization of the eKash platform in collaboration with RSwitch. The upgraded system transitioned to an open-source architecture designed for scalability and long-term independence. It now processes about 1.5 million transactions monthly, representing a 40 percent increase from 2024, while expanding access to microfinance institutions and savings cooperatives.
“Inclusive instant payments are about enabling participation,” said Sabine F. Mensah. “Every system we help launch or improve expands economic opportunity.”
The report also noted progress in advancing regulatory coordination for cross-border payments. In partnership with the African Union Commission, AfricaNenda is working on a proposed regulatory harmonisation framework aimed at enabling seamless cross-border instant payment services across Africa.
Beyond national rollouts, the foundation said it strengthened the broader payments ecosystem through advocacy, research, and capacity building. Its flagship State of Inclusive Instant Payment Systems (SIIPS) 2025 report convened 180 in-person participants, alongside virtual attendees and thousands of livestream viewers, including central bank governors, policymakers, and financial sector leaders.
The report emphasised that payments serve as the backbone of digital public infrastructure and a catalyst for economic growth, noting that about 400 million Africans remain unbanked. It added that inclusive instant payment systems enable faster salary and benefit disbursements, support small businesses, and promote financial inclusion for women and rural communities.
“Strong payment infrastructure is not just a financial sector priority, it is a development imperative,” Dr Ochola said. “When payments become instant, affordable and interoperable, economies move faster and inclusion becomes achievable.”
Looking ahead, AfricaNenda said its 2026 priorities include supporting at least three additional IIPS launches, expanding financing partnerships, transforming the SIIPS report into an impact evaluation tool, and launching a virtual centre of excellence to share implementation strategies.
“The journey has truly begun,” Mensah added. “Africa is poised for the next phase where instant, interoperable payments connect countries, empower communities and unlock growth at scale.”
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