{
  "id": 10667909,
  "title": "Mastercard champions a more connected digital future for Africa at GITEX Nigeria 2026",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/29/mastercard-champions-a-more-connected-digital-future-for-africa-at",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-09-29T10:03:39.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Nairametrics",
    "slug": "nairametrics",
    "url": "https://nairametrics.com/2026/09/29/mastercard-champions-a-more-connected-digital-future-for-africa-at-gitex-nigeria-2026/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "During the GITEX Nigeria 2026 conference, held in Abuja and Lagos from August 31 to September 3, Mastercard focused on interoperability, financial innovation, local capability and cybersecurity as key building blocks for a more connected, inclusive and trusted digital economy on the continent. The company's executives explored how moving from digital adoption to value creation and economic opportunity can be achieved.\n\nAt the exhibition booth, Mastercard connected with key stakeholders, including the Deputy Governor of Lagos State and the U.S. Consul General. Their discussions emphasized the necessity of public and private sector collaboration in building a more connected, inclusive and trusted digital landscape across Nigeria and Africa.\n\nA central theme was the need to connect existing systems such as digital identity, real-time payments and digital government platforms, so they can work together seamlessly. When these services are interoperable, citizens and businesses can experience smoother interactions, while businesses can develop financial profiles that open pathways to credit and other financial services.\n\nThe Community Pass, a Mastercard initiative, illustrates how connected digital infrastructure can benefit underserved communities by linking them with financial institutions, governments and service providers. This helps individuals and small traders build digital profiles that facilitate their access to payments, markets and financial tools.\n\nFor Africa, the long-term opportunity lies in ensuring that global technology collaborations also bolster local skills, infrastructure, innovation and businesses. Olusola Olakanmi, Mastercard's vice president, Account Management and head of Sales, West Africa, emphasized this point, stating that while partnerships remain crucial for accelerating access to technology and expertise, their true value should be measured by the extent to which they strengthen local capabilities and generate sustainable value for African businesses.\n\nMastercard's growth in Africa is evident, with its acceptance network expanding by 45% in 2025 and extending digital payment participation to consumers and merchants, including smaller and informal businesses. The shift from digital adoption to ownership is about ensuring that digital participation translates into local capability and economic opportunity.\n\nIn the financial technology ecosystem, innovation thrives when supported by a robust infrastructure capable of scale. At \"Africa's Financial Reset: The New Architecture of Money, Markets and Movement,\" Unwana Esang, Mastercard's vice president, Service Business Development, highlighted the importance of interoperable infrastructure in enabling new solutions to reach more people, businesses and markets while fostering sustainable growth across the financial ecosystem. Interoperable systems can reduce the cost and complexity of connecting different platforms, which is particularly vital for cross-border commerce, remittances and business payments.\n\nMastercard Move, supporting money movement across more than 200 countries and territories in more than 150 currencies, exemplifies the importance of interoperability. Together with AI-driven capabilities like Mastercard Threat Intelligence, which uses AI to assess transaction risks in real-time, the company is shaping a financial ecosystem where connectivity and intelligence facilitate faster, broader, and more responsive services for customers and businesses.",
  "summary": "As Africa’s digital economy continues to evolve, the conversation is shifting from adoption to value creation. At GITEX Nigeria 2026, held in Abuja and Lagos from August 31 to September 3, Mastercard brought together perspectives on interoperability, financial innovation, local capability, and cybersecurity, highlighting the critical building blocks needed to create a more connected, inclusive,…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Nairametrics",
        "title": "Africa’s digital economy is Accelerating — and TeXcellence 5.0 is putting scale at the centre",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/29/africas-digital-economy-is-accelerating-and-texcellence-5-0-is",
        "published": "2026-09-29T11:46:40.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}