Wallet based naira payments go cross border

Onafriq Nigeria Payments Ltd, a payment service provider licensed by the Central Bank of Nigeria, has partnered with the Pan African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) to launch a pilot programme enabling wallet based outbound payments from Nigeria to Ghana

The service allows instant transactions fully in naira, without the need for hard currency conversion, and is delivered in collaboration with banks and mobile money operators.

Approved by the Central Bank of Nigeria, the pilot supports cross border intra African payments for individuals, merchants and traders. Small and medium sized enterprises are expected to benefit significantly, gaining access to a faster and more affordable way to transact with customers and suppliers across borders. The service is scheduled to run for a six month period starting on 1 December.

Through its collaboration with PAPSS, Onafriq is contributing to the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area mandate, which promotes tariff free trade across its 54 member states. Within the partnership, Onafriq provides the mobile money infrastructure, supported by an ecosystem of more than one billion mobile wallets. PAPSS contributes its network of over 160 commercial banks, representing more than 400 million bank accounts across 19 African countries. Together, the two organisations are linking mobile money platforms and banking systems to enable smoother intra African transactions.

Africa’s payments landscape has traditionally been divided between bank led and mobile led markets, with limited interoperability between the two. This partnership is designed to remove those barriers. By connecting more than one billion mobile wallets and approximately 500 million bank wallets across the continent, the initiative enables cross border collaboration at scale.

The latest pilot builds on the existing partnership between Onafriq and PAPSS for inbound payments into Ghana, which was announced earlier this year.

“Our work with PAPSS shows what collaboration at scale can unlock—seamless, secure connections between banking systems and mobile money ecosystems. This is how we open bi-directional trade corridors, reduce costs for businesses, and give African enterprises the rails they need to trade with confidence in their own currencies. The vision is continental, but it starts with practical steps like this one,” said Mxolisi Msutwana, Managing Director Anglophone West Africa.

“Too often, African businesses and individuals see borders as roadblocks instead of opportunities. With this step, we’re challenging that mindset, giving Nigerians the ability to send value next door with the same ease as sending

a text message. Our vision is simple: make Africa’s borders invisible to payments. This pilot makes that a reality, moving us closer to a continent where payments don’t pause at the border,” added Ositadimma Ugwu, Chief Information Officer, PAPSS.

The new Nigeria to Ghana outbound payments capability follows the successful launch of the Ghana to Nigeria instant payments corridor earlier this year, reinforcing the shift towards local currency, instant and inclusive payment systems across Africa.