Ghana partners African countries to pilot continental mobile money interoperability
Ghana is collaborating with Rwanda, Zambia and other partners to pilot a continental digital trade corridor aimed at improving integration and interoperability in financial transactions across Africa.
Vice President Naana Jane Opoku Agyemang announced the initiative at the 3i Africa Summit in Accra on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, explaining that the pilot will focus on mobile money interoperability, mutual recognition of digital identity for cross-border know your customer processes, and the harmonisation of electronic invoicing.
“This pilot, which will be implemented, tested, and measured, will focus on mobile money interoperability, mutual recognition of digital identity for cross-border KYC and harmonise electronic invoicing,” she said.
She added that the goal is to enable Ghanaian businesses to invoice clients across the continent and receive payments directly in cedis in a faster and more cost-effective manner.
“The objective is for a Ghanaian enterprise to be able to invoice clients and receive payments in cedis directly, efficiently and at a reasonable cost,” she stated.
According to the Vice President, the initiative builds on recent upgrades to Ghana’s payment infrastructure designed to support cross-border transactions. Once fully implemented, it will allow businesses to transact across African markets without relying on external financial systems.
She noted that many intra African payments are currently routed through systems outside the continent, increasing costs and delays.
“This adds costs and delays and undermines the very idea of a single African market,” she said.
She acknowledged ongoing progress under the Pan African Payment and Settlement System and said the African Continental Free Trade Area Digital Trade Protocol, adopted by the African Union in 2024, provides a framework to enhance cross-border digital transactions.
No timeline was announced for the rollout of the digital corridor.
Also speaking at the summit, the Chief Executive of the Ghana Interbank Payment and Settlement Systems Limited, Clara B Arthur, revealed that Ghana’s payment systems are being upgraded to the ISO 20022 global messaging standard.
She explained that the transition will align Ghana’s financial systems with global standards, enabling more detailed transaction data and faster settlements.
“By adopting the standard, Ghana's payment systems will speak the same language as the world's leading financial infrastructure and markets, enabling richer transaction data and faster settlement,” she said.
She added that GhIPSS is prepared to connect with other instant payment systems across Africa, stressing that cross-border interoperability will shape the future of digital finance.
“The future of digital finance lies in cross-border interoperability,” she noted.
She further indicated that GhIPSS aims to provide the infrastructure for partners to build solutions that expand access and deepen financial inclusion, adding that engagement is ongoing with virtual asset providers following the passage of the Virtual Asset Service Providers Act to support innovation within a regulated framework.