Keynote 3: Payments & Partnerships: Unlocking Africa’s Digital Trade Opportunity

As Africa accelerates toward a more integrated digital economy, the ability to move money seamlessly across borders is becoming a critical enabler of growth. Telecom-led fintech platforms are playing a pivotal role in transforming cross-border payments, reducing friction, lowering costs, and extending financial access to millions of consumers and businesses.

However, limited interoperability between African countries and beyond remains a key barrier, with fragmented regulations and disconnected platforms increasing friction and costs and slowing both internal and external African trade.

This session will explore how partnerships between telcos, fintechs, banks and global commerce players are helping to bridge these gaps, enabling more seamless transactions, supporting SMEs, and accelerating opportunities.  It will examine how greater interoperability, aligned policy, and collaborative ecosystems can unlock a more connected and scalable digital trade landscape.