PAPSS launches Onafriq as first wallet-based outbound payments from Nigeria to Ghana

Onafriq Nigeria Payments Ltd says it is partnering with the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) to pilot Africa’s first wallet-based outbound payments from Nigeria to Ghana.

Onafriq said in a statement made available on Tuesday that the pilot, approved by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), allowed instant cross-border payments fully in naira without reliance on hard currency conversion, in collaboration with banks and mobile money operators.

It said that the service was designed to enable seamless intra-African payments for individuals, merchants and traders, with a focus on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which are key drivers of intra-African trade.

According to the partners, Onafriq and PAPSS, the initiative would provide SMEs with faster and cheaper payment options to reach customers and suppliers across borders, thereby reducing trade barriers and expanding market access.

Mr Mxolisi Msutwana, Managing Director, Anglophone West Africa at Onafriq, said the collaboration demonstrated the power of partnerships in unlocking seamless and secure connections between banking systems and mobile money platforms.

“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,” Msutwana said.

He said that while the vision was continental, it was being driven by practical steps such as the Nigeria to Ghana pilot.

Also speaking, Mr Ositadimma Ugwu, Chief Information Officer of PAPSS, said the initiative would help African businesses see borders as opportunities rather than obstacles.

“With this step, we are giving Nigerians the ability to send value next door with the same ease as sending a text message,” Ugwu said.

He noted that the pilot aligned with PAPSS’ vision of making Africa’s borders invisible to payments and advancing a continent where payments move seamlessly across borders.

“The Nigeria-to-Ghana outbound payment capability builds on the successful Ghana-to-Nigeria instant payments corridor launched earlier in the year.

“It reinforces the partners’ commitment to a local, instant and inclusive African payments ecosystem.

“The six-month pilot, which begins on Dec. 1, is expected to improve cross-border commerce between Nigeria and Ghana and support business growth across the corridor,” Ugwu added.

Onafriq said the partnership with PAPSS supported the operationalisation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which promoted tariff-free trade among its 54 member states.

It said that under the partnership, Onafriq provided mobile money infrastructure with access to over one billion mobile wallets, while PAPSS contributed a network of more than 160 commercial banks.

The company explained that the 160 commercial banks represented over 400 million bank accounts across 19 African countries.

The collaboration, according to the partners, effectively connected mobile money and banking ecosystems, enabling easier and more efficient intra-African trade transactions.

It noted that Africa currently consisted of both bank-led and mobile-led markets, often operating in siloes that limited interoperability.

The partners assured that their new partnership was expected to remove these barriers and enable cross-border collaboration at scale.