• US pledges $150M to Zipline for African drone logistics, but funds are conditional on nations paying ~80% of costs via binding contracts.

• The plan triples Zipline’s reach to 15,000 facilities, serving 100M+ people and cutting life-threatening medical stock-outs to under 2%.

• This "America First" model pushes fiscal risk to African states, requiring dollar-denominated payments for US tech to modernize supply chains.

The United States Department of State has announced a landmark grant of up to $150 million to support Zipline, the San Francisco–based leader in autonomous medical drone delivery. Announced on November 25, 2025, this initiative represents the most significant single commitment to a drone-powered healthcare logistics system on the African continent.

However, unlike traditional aid programs, which disburse funds upfront, this grant operates on a strict "pay-for-performance" model. No U.S. funds will flow to Zipline until the company secures binding, multi-year service contracts with African governments. The goal is ambitious: to triple Zipline’s current coverage from 5,000 to 15,000 health facilities, bringing on-demand delivery of blood, vaccines, and medicines to over 100 million people across countries like the DRC, Uganda, and Zambia.

This expansion relies on proven metrics. Independent studies by organizations such as the World Health Organization and PwC have documented that Zipline’s system can reduce delivery times from days to under 30 minutes and cut life-threatening stock-out rates from 40% to below 2%. By leveraging this technology, the program aims to create at least 800 skilled local jobs in aviation and pharmacy operations while modernizing supply chains in rugged terrain.

Yet, the financing structure places the heavy lifting on African states; participating governments are expected to finance 73–80% of the overall program costs—estimated at up to $400 million over three years—through their own public budgets. This conditionality marks a distinct departure from old philanthropy, framing the deal not as charity, but as a commercial partnership incentivized by Washington.

Strategic Calculations: The "America First" Approach and the Cost for Africa

This initiative is a clear reflection of the 2025 "America First" global health policy, which prioritizes U.S.-manufactured technology and the preservation of American engineering jobs over traditional direct aid. It offers a lighter, tech-driven alternative to China’s infrastructure-heavy engagement in Africa, effectively blending global health objectives with industrial policy.

For African governments, the proposal offers undeniably attractive operational efficiencies, particularly the ability to lower distribution costs by up to 60% in remote areas. However, the model introduces significant fiscal and sovereign risks that finance ministries must carefully weigh.

The primary challenge lies in the long-term fiscal pressure. With service contracts priced in U.S. dollars, African nations face exposure to exchange-rate volatility and high recurring costs that could squeeze already constrained health budgets. Furthermore, there is a risk of "vendor lock-in"; once a national distribution network is built around Zipline’s proprietary infrastructure, switching providers becomes costly and complex.

While the drone network solves critical "last-mile" problems, it does not replace the need for basic road and cold-chain infrastructure. Ultimately, while the U.S. is enabling this expansion, the success of the project will depend on African governments' ability to negotiate transparent contracts and integrate this high-tech solution into a sustainable, sovereign health strategy.

• Spending plan reaches CFA8816.4 billion, up 14% from 2025

• Special Accounts nearly double after creation of a new women and youth fund

• Financing needs total CFA3104.2 billion amid high debt-risk warnings

The government submitted its draft 2026 finance bill to the National Assembly on Wednesday, November 26. According to the explanatory statement that Finance Minister Louis Paul Motazé is set to defend before lawmakers, the proposed budget balances revenues and spending at CFA8816.4 billion (about $14.7 billion), up by more than CFA1000 billion year on year, or +14%.

Of this total, the general budget stands at CFA8683.9 billion, an increase of CFA1014.9 billion (+13%) compared with 2025. Special Accounts (CAS) are projected at CFA132.5 billion, almost twice the CFA65.6 billion recorded in 2025 (+98.1%).

This sharp rise in CAS reflects the creation of a “Special Fund for supporting the economic empowerment of women and promoting youth employment,” endowed with CFA50 billion, “in line with commitments made by the Head of State during his swearing-in,” the explanatory statement says.

A budget aligned with SND30

The 2026 revenue and spending estimates show a budget deficit of CFA631 billion. Including “other financing charges,” the government’s total funding need reaches CFA3104.2 billion. Beyond projected domestic revenues of CFA5887 billion, Cameroon will need to mobilize an additional CFA3104.2 billion through various debt instruments to cover all planned spending.

To achieve this, the government plans to rely on loans from international development partners and fundraising on the regional capital market. The draft bill includes CFA826.7 billion in project loan disbursements, CFA1000 billion in external borrowing, CFA167.8 billion in exceptional financing, and CFA120 billion in budget support. It also provides for CFA589.7 billion in bank loans and CFA400 billion in public securities issued on the money market.

These new borrowings will add to an already high-risk debt profile. The African Development Bank (AfDB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) classify Cameroon among countries facing a high risk of debt distress. The government maintains, however, that its projections show the debt level in 2026 remaining well below the 70% of GDP threshold used in CEMAC’s multilateral surveillance rules. CEMAC includes Cameroon, Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Chad, and the Central African Republic.

The government presents the 2026 budget as a tool for consolidating public finances and aligning with national development targets. “In 2026, the overall orientation of fiscal policy remains the consolidation of public finances, in line with the CEMAC convergence pact, while ensuring the effective implementation of the priority goals of the SND30 (National Development Strategy 2020–2030),” the explanatory statement says.

Beyond its alignment with CEMAC criteria and SND30 priorities, the challenge will shift to execution: mobilizing, at a sustainable cost, the CFA3104.2 billion in planned financing; controlling debt dynamics in a context of already high risk; and delivering concrete results for jobs and the productive sector, especially for women and young people.

Brice R. Mbodiam, Business in Cameroon

• Army general Horta N’Tam is sworn in as transition president for one year

• Ceremony follows a military coup and arrests of top political and security figures

• IMF sees 5.5% GDP growth in 2025 despite persistent political instability

General Horta N’Tam, chief of staff of the army, was officially sworn in on November 27 as “president of the transition and head of the High Military Command for the restoration of national security and public order.” The transition period is set at one year.

“The country is facing a politically difficult and delicate moment. The challenges we must confront are immense and urpgent. We must fight with determination the narcotrafficking networks that corrupt the state, politics, and society,” the new transition leader said.

The announcement came one day after a military coup. On 26 November, soldiers declared they had taken control of the country while Bissau was still awaiting the results of the 23 November presidential election.

Military forces reportedly arrested outgoing president Umaro Sissoco Embaló, the army’s chief of staff General Mamadou Touré, and Interior Minister Botché Candé.

According to media reports, opposition candidate Fernando Dias da Costa said he was in a safe location. Domingos Simões Pereira, head of the Partido Africano da Independência da Guiné e Cabo Verde (PAIGC), was reportedly detained at an air force base.

The African Union (AU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) “unequivocally condemned” the coup, calling for the “immediate and unconditional” release of Mr. Embaló and the other detainees, and urging the population to remain calm.

DÉCLARATION CONJOINTE DES CHEFS DE MISSIONS ÉLECTORALES DE LA CÉDÉAO, DE L'UNION AFRICAINE ET DU FORUM OUEST-AFRICAIN DES SAGES AU SUJET DE LA SITUATION POST- ELECTORALE EN REPUBLIQUE DE GUINÉE-BISSAU. pic.twitter.com/LX3yU2SRfh

— Ecowas - Cedeao (@ecowas_cedeao) November 26, 2025

Located in West Africa, Guinea-Bissau has faced persistent political and institutional fragility since its independence in 1974. According to the World Bank, it remains one of the countries most exposed to coups and instability, with four successful takeovers and seventeen other attempts, plots, or allegations recorded.

The 2019 elections were followed by a political crisis that ended in April 2020 with ECOWAS recognition of Umaro Sissoco Embaló as president.

Economically, the country has shown resilience despite multiple challenges. The IMF projects GDP growth of 5.5% in 2025, driven by strong cashew production, domestic consumption, and private investment. However, this outlook could be constrained by international commodity shocks and political instability.

Lydie Mobio

• Anthony Mavunde remains in office as Tanzania prepares new mining reforms

• President Hassan plans a mining sovereign fund and a multi-mineral refinery

• Government aims to boost local value and expand critical minerals projects

In Tanzania, Mines Minister Anthony Mavunde (photo) is among the officials retained in the new government formed by President Samia Suluhu Hassan. The leader, re-elected last October, has announced the upcoming creation of a sovereign wealth fund dedicated to the mining sector, along with broader reforms to increase its contribution to the economy. Mr Mavunde will remain in office to lead this policy.

Active in politics since his youth, the current Mines Minister joined the government for the first time in 2015 as Deputy Minister of Labor until 2020 under President John Magufuli. He was called back in 2023 by his successor to take over the Mines portfolio. Under his leadership, the sector’s share of GDP reached 10.1 % in 2024 (up from 6.8 % in 2020), surpassing by one year the target set in the 2021/22–2025/26 five-year development plan.

President Hassan is now setting new goals, including the creation of a mining sovereign wealth fund. In her speech at the opening of the National Assembly plenary session on November 14, she described it as a long-term investment tool meant to protect current mining revenues.

“Minerals are not like maize, where after harvesting you set aside seeds for replanting. Minerals have an end. We are doing this so that when future generations arrive and find only pits, they will also find funds to support their livelihoods,” she said.

In addition to the new fund, Ms Hassan announced her intention to have a refinery built in Tanzania by 2030 to process several minerals. The project is expected to end the export of raw minerals and create local jobs. She also said the national strategy for critical minerals is being finalized. It will identify the types, locations, and quantities of critical minerals available in the country.

Tanzania already produces graphite, used in electric vehicle batteries, and will soon begin large-scale rare earth mining with the Ngualla project. Used in the automotive and wind industries, rare earths are among critical minerals whose supply is concentrated in China. Tanzania is therefore positioning itself as an alternative to this dominance. The country also hosts lithium, another metal in rising demand due to the energy transition.

The priorities set by Samia Suluhu Hassan for her Mines Minister are significant. Mr Mavunde will have to overcome several challenges to meet his targets. Tanzania will need to mobilize the substantial investments required for the refinery, at a time when the ban on exporting several raw minerals has not yet increased local processing.

In addition, prices for some critical minerals, including lithium and graphite, have declined in recent years, temporarily reducing certain investments. Finally, the creation of a sovereign wealth fund alone does not guarantee long-term prosperity without efforts to ensure sound management of mining revenues and diversify the economy, as the case of Botswana illustrates.

• Anthropic, Rwanda’s government, and ALX launched Chidi, an AI mentor built on Claude.

• It will reach over 200,000 learners across Africa. Rwanda is training 2,000 teachers and civil servants to use it in classrooms.

• By 2030, 70% of digital jobs will need basic skills, but only 9% of youth have them. Chidi helps bridge this gap with critical thinking and coding support.

Anthropic announced on November 18 a partnership with the Government of Rwanda and African tech training provider ALX to introduce Chidi, an AI learning companion built on Claude, to hundreds of thousands of learners across Africa.

Rwanda’s Ministries of ICT & Innovation and Education are integrating Chidi into the national education system, training up to 2,000 teachers and civil servants in AI classroom applications. Graduates will receive year-long access to Claude tools to enhance AI literacy in education and government. Paula Ingabire, Minister of ICT & Innovation, said, “This collaboration enhances learning, supports educators, and builds a workforce ready for the 21st century.”

ALX will deploy Chidi across its programs, reaching over 200,000 students across the continent. The AI acts as a “Socratic mentor,” encouraging critical thinking through guided questions instead of direct answers. Early feedback shows high engagement, with learners tackling advanced coding and data science challenges.

The initiative builds on Anthropic’s global AI education efforts, including national pilots in Iceland, collaborations with the London School of Economics, and growing operations in India. The company aims to ensure AI expands opportunities and serves communities worldwide.

Africa faces a significant digital skills gap, with low technology adoption among firms, limiting productivity and hampering job creation, especially in areas that require higher-level skills. By 2030, 70% of digital skills demand is expected to be for basic-level capabilities, yet an OECD survey across 15 African countries shows only 9% of youth currently possess these essential skills. This mismatch between demand and preparedness underscores the importance of initiatives like Chidi, which aim to build foundational and advanced digital competencies across the continent.

Across the continent, similar AI and digital education initiatives are gaining traction. In Ghana, AI tools are being used in underserved neighborhoods, such as Accra’s Chorkor district, to teach digital literacy and spark interest in technology among youth. Kenya has also stepped forward with the Kenya Artificial Intelligence Skilling Alliance (KAISA), launched by the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) in partnership with Microsoft, to coordinate AI skills development, innovation, and policy collaboration across key economic sectors.

Meanwhile, in Rwanda, another complementary initiative is addressing the foundational layer of digital inclusion. The Airtel Africa Foundation, in partnership with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), launched a program to expand digital skills training nationwide. The initiative provides free routers, Wi-Fi, and data to Digital Transformation Centres (DTCs) in underserved communities. These developments directly tackle one of Africa’s most pressing development challenges: the widening gap between digital access and digital competency.

Hikmatu Bilali

• The Tax Authority is preparing a Mineral Atlas to consolidate geological, chemical, and economic data on minerals with industrial and commercial potential.

• The tool is designed to support harmonised classification criteria, revision of tax rates, and the implementation of reference prices for minerals.

• The initiative follows AT’s recovery of 301.3 million meticais in mining tax debts and identification of 2 billion meticais owed over the past five years.

Mozambique’s Tax Authority (AT) has initiated a consultation process to establish a national Mineral Atlas to centralise data on mineral resources and improve the taxation of mining activities. According to the institution, the document is being developed in coordination with the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy, through the National Mining Institute (INAMI) and the Kimberley Process Management Unit (UGPK), with technical support from the Efficient Taxation for Inclusive Development Programme (TEDI).

The Atlas brings together geological, chemical, and economic information on minerals and rocks with industrial and commercial potential. The AT, as quoted by the Club of Mozambique, said the instrument is intended to harmonize classification standards, support revisions to tax rates, and consolidate data needed for fiscal transparency in the extractive sector. The final version will also include laboratory analyses of minerals found in Mozambique.

According to AT data published earlier, the authority identified 2 billion meticais in unpaid mining surface fees and production taxes over the past five years. In the first half of the year, the government issued 1,858 mining licenses and recovered 301.3 million meticais in overdue taxes. A further 223.4 million meticais in enforceable guarantees were recorded to support the rehabilitation and closure of abandoned mines.

The Mineral Atlas is being developed amid tightening controls on the extractive sector. In March, the government announced new rules governing the use of mineral and energy resources and highlighted its intention to free areas classified as “idle” for exploitation. Mozambique had approximately 3,000 exploration licenses under its mining and energy portfolio.

By consolidating reference prices, identification data, and regions of mineral occurrence, the Mineral Atlas will serve as a unified technical basis for determining the value of mining products and supporting the efficient taxation of mining operations, according to reporting by The Club of Mozambique.

By Cynthia Ebot Takang

• Africa’s instant payment systems processed 64 billion transactions worth $1.98 trillion in 2024, according to AfricaNenda.
• The continent counted 36 operational instant payment systems in June 2025, including 3 regional schemes (PAPSS, GIMACPAY, TCIB).
• Nigeria’s NIBSS Instant Payment remains the only system to reach a ‘mature inclusivity’ level.

Instant payment systems (IPS) expanded rapidly across Africa over the past five years, although only one system reached a mature level of inclusivity that covers all use cases, offers strong consumer-redress mechanisms and keeps end-user fees low.

Africa’s active IPS processed a record 64 billion transactions worth $1.98 trillion in 2024, according to a report released on 13 November by AfricaNenda Foundation, an independent organisation promoting payment system development on the continent.

The report, titled “The State of Inclusive Instant Payment Systems in Africa 2025 (SIIPS 2025)”, was produced with the World Bank and the UN Economic Commission for Africa. The document says the number of transactions grew 35% annually on average between 2020 and 2024, while total transaction value grew 26% annually during the same period.

Based on data from public and private stakeholders and African central banks, the report says Africa hosted 36 operational IPS in June 2025, up from 31 one year earlier. These include 33 national systems and three regional systems: the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS), GIMACPAY in CEMAC, and TCIB in SADC.

Between July 2024 and June 2025, five new 24/7/365 systems went live: Switch Mobile (Algeria), Fast Payment Module (Eswatini), LYPay (Libya), Salone Payment Switch (Sierra Leone) and Somalia Instant Payment System (SIPS).

Seven countries — Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa and Tanzania — operate multiple IPS. In total, 31 African countries host instant payment systems. This figure should rise sharply as 19 additional countries, including Benin, Botswana, Guinea, Liberia, Mauritania and Madagascar, develop new systems.

The report identifies 16 inter-domain IPS, which connect multiple payment instruments such as bank accounts and mobile-money wallets. Mobile-money IPS (10) rank second, followed by bank-only IPS (6). Africa also counts one central-bank digital currency-based system: Nigeria’s eNaira.

Bank-led IPS recorded the strongest growth in processed volume, expanding 28% between 2023 and 2024, ahead of inter-domain systems (9%) and mobile-money systems (7%).

This trend also drove value growth. Bank IPS posted a 50% jump in value between 2023 and 2024, compared to 29% for inter-domain systems and 25% for mobile-money systems.

Average transaction values fell. Bank IPS dropped from $251 to $154 per transaction. Inter-domain averages fell from $225 to $95, while mobile-money IPS posted the lowest value at $11 per transaction.

Mobile Apps Dominate User Channels

The report says mobile apps remain the most used channel across Africa, with 33 systems relying on app-based payments, reflecting rising smartphone penetration.

USSD protocols rank second, with 25 systems using this channel to reach users with basic phones.

Browser-based banking comes third (22), followed by QR-code solutions (20) and human-assisted channels such as bank agents (16). POS terminals, ATMs and NFC channels rank lowest.

A total of 35 IPS support person-to-person (P2P) transfers and 27 systems support person-to-business (P2B) payments. Fifteen systems enable person-to-government (P2G) payments such as tax payments, and 16 systems support business-to-business (B2B) payments.

Only 11 systems support government-to-person (G2P) disbursements like pensions or social transfers, and 11 systems support cross-border payments.

The report says only one IPS in Africa has achieved a mature inclusivity level: Nigeria’s NIBSS Instant Payment. The system covers all use cases, maintains consumer-redress mechanisms exceeding regulatory baselines, and keeps end-user costs low.

However, 10 systems are progressing toward mature inclusivity, including GIMACPAY, EthSwitch (Ethiopia), National Financial Switch (Zambia), Mobile Money Interoperability (Ghana) and Instant Payment Network (Egypt).

Fifteen IPS remain at a basic inclusivity level, integrating only the most common channels and minimal functionality, while 10 systems remain unclassified due to missing data or failure to meet baseline criteria.

This article was initially published in French by Walid Kéfi

Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum

• South Sudan has asked CNPC and ONGC Videsh for $2.5 billion in new oil-backed loans despite already owing $2.2 billion.
• A London court ordered the country to pay Afreximbank $657 million after a default, while BB Energy and Vitol pursue claims for undelivered cargoes.
• The IMF and UN warn that rising oil-collateral debt threatens the sustainability of South Sudan’s $3.7 billion debt stock.

South Sudan has formally requested $2.5 billion in oil-backed loans from two foreign companies: $1 billion from India’s ONGC Videsh and $1.5 billion from China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC).

The government proposes to secure the loans with future crude shipments and to repay them over 54 months after disbursement. The Oil Ministry says the funds will support official spending.

This new request adds to the more than $2.2 billion in oil-backed debt contracted since independence in 2011. The IMF and the United Nations warn that these loans undermine debt sustainability, with total public debt estimated at $3.7 billion at the end of 2023.

A London court ordered South Sudan to pay $657 million to Afreximbank after a default. Other creditors, including BB Energy and Vitol, have launched legal proceedings for nondelivery of crude.

The new borrowing request comes as external pressure intensifies and as creditors seek to enforce contractual obligations.

An October 2025 report from the Sudd Institute says the country’s reliance on oil-collateralised loans reflects the failure to implement the 2013 Petroleum Act. The law required the creation of a stabilisation account and a future-generations fund to absorb oil-market shocks.

The government never established these mechanisms. Their absence enabled a parallel system in which oil advances became a de facto budget instrument.

Economist Bec George Anyak says the deterioration stems not from external shocks but from “a collapse of governance.” Oil revenues account for more than 90% of public income, and debt-service obligations and off-budget spending absorb a growing share of these flows.

The United Nations adds that corruption in the management of oil revenues helped fuel political violence, including the 2013–2018 civil war that killed an estimated 400,000 people.

South Sudan produced only 72,000 barrels per day in 2024. The decline weakens its ability to meet debt commitments and finance public expenditure.

Analysts warn that, without deep reforms, Juba risks another severe financial crisis. The Sudd Institute recommends a moratorium on oil-backed loans, the creation of a public debt registry and full enforcement of the Petroleum Act.

By continuing to trade oil for credit, South Sudan endangers its budget stability. The crude that was meant to fund reconstruction now risks driving a new economic breakdown.

This article was initially published in French by Olivier de Souza

Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum

• Elemental says it has received no royalty payments from Wahgnion since the state acquired the mine in Q3 2024.
• Burkina Faso received a CFA10 billion BOAD facility to boost output but has not fulfilled all commitments.
• Endeavour has received $50.2 million of a $60 million fixed consideration but has not reported receiving its 3% royalty.

Elemental Altus Royalties says an external audit has been running at Wahgnion for several months. The company reaffirmed on 12 November that it has received no royalty payments since the government bought the asset in the third quarter of 2024.

The state took control of the mine to end a disagreement between Endeavour, which initially owned Wahgnion, and Lilium, which had purchased it earlier.

Elemental belongs to the class of mining companies that do not operate mines but hold rights to future revenue streams. Wahgnion carries a 1% net smelter return (NSR) royalty, which covers the value of gold sold after deducting refining and processing costs.

The agreement originally linked Elemental to Endeavour. The obligation now sits with the Société de Participation Minière du Burkina, which runs the mine on behalf of the state.

Elemental says in its third-quarter financial report: “The company has received all royalty statements from the Wahgnion management team for the 2024 fiscal year and has received payment for the first two quarters of 2024, but has not yet received payment for the second half of 2024. In addition, the company has not yet received the royalty statements for the first, second and third quarters of 2025 and therefore has not yet received the information needed to justify the recognition of royalty revenue for 2025.”

The company adds that discussions continue with mine management and external auditors but gives no timeline for the royalty payment. Elemental received $2.67 million from the 1% royalty in 2023.

The situation could also affect Endeavour. When the parties completed the sale agreement in August 2024, Endeavour secured a 3% royalty on the first 400,000 ounces sold by Wahgnion. The company valued expected receipts at 29.3 million as of July 2025. It has not indicated whether it has received any portion of this royalty.

Endeavour reported in its 2024 annual report that it had already received $50.2 million of the $60 million fixed consideration negotiated at the time of sale. However, no official data on Wahgnion’s production has been published since the mine’s acquisition.

In June 2025, BOAD announced a CFA10 billion financing package to support output at Wahgnion and Boungou, another gold mine the government purchased from Endeavour in August 2024.

This article was initially published in French by Emiliano Tossou

Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum

• Nigeria’s NIP ranks among the world’s largest real-time payment platforms, underscoring its central role in Africa’s economy and trade across it
• Africa’s real-time payments boom now fuels geopolitical rivalry as India, China, and Europe compete to shape the continent’s future digital infrastructure.
• Interoperability and currency fragmentation remain decisive challenges, determining whether Africa builds true continental rails or isolated payment islands

Africa is experiencing a pivotal moment in the evolution of its digital payments landscape. Between June 2024 and June 2025, the continent recorded the fastest expansion of instant payment systems (IPS) in its history. The State of Inclusive Instant Payment Systems in Africa 2025 report shows that five new domestic systems—Algeria’s Switch Mobile, Eswatini’s Fast Payment Module, Libya’s LYPay, Sierra Leone’s Salon Pement Switch, and Somalia’s SIPS—went live within just twelve months, raising the number of operational IPS from 31 to 36.

Since launching its instant payments platform in September 2025, the UEMOA region has added six new systems in little more than a year. Africa, long perceived as lagging behind more established regions, is now moving at a remarkable pace to close the digital payments gap. Moreover, on November 11, 2025, the East African Community launched a pilot initiative linking Rwanda and Tanzania to test a regional instant payment network. The pilot, conducted under the EAC Digital Integration Program, aims to lay the foundation for a cross-border real-time payments infrastructure spanning the region.

 It marked the first practical attempt to build a continental-scale real-time payment corridor, demonstrating not only the feasibility of instant transfers across sovereign borders but also the growing appetite among African blocs to reduce fragmentation and improve the speed, cost, and transparency of cross-border transactions.

Nigeria’s Dominance and a New Global Battle for Influence

Nigeria continues to dominate this accelerating landscape. Its NIBSS Instant Payment system (NIP) has grown into one of the world’s largest real-time payment platforms, processing 11 billion transactions in 2024, up from 2 billion in 2020. Transaction values surged from USD 457 billion to USD 1.1 trillion over the same period, underscoring the immense centrality of instant payments to Nigeria’s financial life.

NIP now serves nearly 58 million unique users—approximately half of the adult population—and in 2025 became the first African system to reach what SIIPS classifies as “mature inclusivity,” meeting strict thresholds for affordability, accessibility, governance transparency, and consumer protection. Nigeria’s trajectory places it on par with global pioneers such as India’s UPI and Brazil’s PIX, not only in scale but in national economic relevance.

Africa’s race toward real-time payments is no longer a purely domestic story; it has become a strategic field for geopolitical and technological competition. India, China, and Europe have all positioned themselves as partners—or contenders—seeking to supply the infrastructure, technologies, and standards that will underpin Africa’s payment future. India sees Africa as the natural next frontier for the UPI model, offering a low-cost digital public infrastructure template that many African central banks are interested in.

China, already deeply embedded in African fintech ecosystems, is strengthening its presence through hardware, QR payment standards, and large-scale digital infrastructure partnerships. Europe, for its part, brings decades of regulatory experience through SEPA and a mature ecosystem of instant payments technology vendors. For these global powers, Africa’s digital payments boom is not simply an export market; it is a space where influence over future economic and data architectures is at stake.

Interoperability, Currency Challenges

Beyond the technological race, the stakes for Africa itself are far more structural. Instant payments have become a critical enabler for the continent’s ambitious integration agenda. Seamless, affordable, and real-time digital transactions could support the expansion of intra-African trade, strengthen supply chains, and reduce the overwhelming reliance on cash that continues to constrain formal economic growth.

If successful, the expansion of IPS could help dismantle trade barriers, accelerate formalization, and provide small businesses and consumers with a unified, low-cost gateway to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). But if this transition fails—if systems remain fragmented, unreliable, or too costly to use—Africa risks entrenching inefficiencies that would reinforce informal markets and create new digital borders even as physical borders open.

The question of interoperability lies at the heart of this tension. Africa’s payments landscape remains highly fragmented, with incompatible messaging standards, proprietary mobile money platforms, and parallel bank-led and telecom-led systems that rarely communicate seamlessly. While domestic IPS deployments have multiplied, meaningful cross-border interoperability remains rare. Only 11 systems on the continent currently support cross-border transactions, and most operate within narrow bilateral or regional corridors.

The SIIPS report highlights that technical interoperability—through ISO 20022 standards, API-based integrations, or regional switches—could drastically reduce transaction costs and unlock shared efficiencies, mirroring the experience of linked IPS networks in Asia and Europe. Without such coordination, Africa risks building a patchwork of sophisticated national systems that nevertheless fail to enable continental-scale economic activity.

The Stakes for African Integration

Yet even if interoperability is achieved, Africa will continue to grapple with a deeper structural challenge: its fragmented currency landscape. High FX spreads, volatility, and shallow currency markets drive up the cost of cross-border transfers regardless of how fast the underlying infrastructure becomes.

Even innovative systems like PAPSS must navigate the reality that instant settlement across dozens of currencies inherently carries financial frictions. In this respect, Africa’s challenge is not solely technological—it is macroeconomic. Until regional currency cooperation mechanisms emerge, real-time payments will not eliminate the high costs that burden African traders and consumers.

Despite these obstacles, the opportunities are seen as transformative. Africa is not merely catching up; it is redefining the frontier of inclusive digital payments. The unprecedented wave of IPS launches, the East African pilot, Nigeria’s leadership, and the global competition now unfolding around Africa’s payment infrastructures all signal a profound shift.

If Africa succeeds in building interconnected, affordable, and sustainable instant payment rails, it could emerge as the world’s largest integrated real-time payments zone—a catalyst for trade, financial inclusion, and economic modernization. If it fails, the continent risks creating 36 digital islands — advanced but isolated — unable to deliver on the promise of continental integration.

Idriss Linge