• GIMAC, Visa sign deal to modernize CEMAC payments ecosystem
• Partnership targets digital payments, interoperability and financial inclusion
• Move supports rising electronic transactions driven by mobile money

Groupement interbancaire monétique de l'Afrique centrale (GIMAC) and Visa, a global digital payments leader, have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to modernize the payments ecosystem across the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC). The agreement was announced on Thursday, April 2.

The deal will deploy secure, interoperable payment solutions, with a focus on digitalizing government payments, e-commerce and next-generation payment systems. By integrating Visa's technology into the GIMACPAY platform, the partnership aims to provide international gateways for local financial institutions, including banks, microfinance institutions and fintechs.

"The signing of this memorandum of understanding aims primarily to expand card services by providing international gateways, while also emphasizing digital services, which are central to this strategy and include all our partners — public treasuries, banks, postal administrations, payment institutions, microfinance institutions and fintechs," said Valentin Mbozo'o, director general of GIMAC.

Beyond technology, the partnership also aims to reduce cash usage and promote financial inclusion across the CEMAC zone.

Visa deepens its footprint in Central Africa

With this latest deal, Visa continues to strengthen its presence in Central Africa, where it has signed several agreements in recent months to broaden the digital payments ecosystem, amid sustained growth in such services across the sub-region.

Within the CEMAC zone, this momentum has driven a sharp rise in electronic transactions. In 2023, they reached 3.7 billion operations worth 171,943 billion CFA francs ($302.6 billion), up 45.99%, according to a BEAC payment services report updated in October 2025.

That growth is largely driven by mobile money, which accounts for 94.8% of transactions and has helped drive financial inclusion, with more than 40 million accounts. By 2029, the region aims to reach 60% financial inclusion, driven by digitalization and partnerships such as the one between GIMAC and Visa.

SG