• COMESA launches local-currency digital payment platform DRPP
• DRPP enables cross-border trade without using U.S. dollars
• Aims to cut costs, boost SME access, and reduce currency risk

The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) said on Thursday, October 9, that it had launched a local-currency digital payment system known as the Digital Retail Payments Platform (DRPP).

The 24th COMESA Heads of State and Government Summit was held on 9 October 2025 in Nairobi, Kenya, with leaders making a strong appeal for collective action to boost intra-regional trade across the 21 Member States.#COMESASummit2025 @Egypt_Kadah pic.twitter.com/TUcx99oewt

— COMESA Governance, Peace and Security (@COMESA_GPS) October 11, 2025

The initiative is run by the COMESA Clearing House (CCH), the bloc’s unit responsible for developing and managing regional payment and settlement systems. The CCH said the DRPP has successfully progressed from integration testing to user trials on the Malawi–Zambia payment corridor.

Developed in partnership with two unnamed fintech firms and a foreign exchange service provider, the DRPP aims to lower transaction costs for businesses by removing the need to convert local currencies into foreign ones—mainly the U.S. dollar—for cross-border payments between COMESA member states.

Kenyan Trade Minister Lee Kinyanjui welcomed the launch, saying, For the first time, cross-border trade within COMESA can be settled directly in local currencies. This shift reduces reliance on scarce foreign currency, shields businesses from volatility, lowers costs, and opens the door for SMEs, women, and youth to fully participate in regional trade.” He said the system aims to keep transaction costs below 3% of trade value.

The COMESA Digital Retail Payment Platform (DRPP) is a game-changer for regional trade.

Addressing the 24th COMESA Summit of Heads of State and Government, I underscored the importance of the DRPP as an instant, inclusive, and affordable cross-border payment system that keeps… pic.twitter.com/hKrKmU2YtK

— Hon Lee Kinyanjui (@GovLeeKinyanjui) October 9, 2025

Established in 1994 to promote economic integration through trade and the development of human and natural resources, COMESA now includes 21 member states, among them the Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Tunisia, Uganda, and Zambia.

Walid Kéfi