Africa Day is a moment to celebrate who we are as a people. Our unity, our diversity, and the unstoppable momentum of our progress. And today, nothing brings us together more than the digital tools that are helping us dream bigger, connect deeper, and build a shared future. Among these tools, digital payments have become the new lifeblood of Africa’s growth story. At Flutterwave, we believe that payments are not just transactions. They are the fuel powering hopes, dreams, and opportunities across the continent and beyond.
Africa is moving fast. Everywhere you look, fintech is reshaping our economies, making it easier for people to do business across borders, send money home, start something new, or simply pay for a service with the click of a button. This shift is deeply personal to me. When we started Flutterwave nearly 10 years ago, we wanted to solve a simple but massive problem: how can African businesses receive payments from anyone, anywhere in the world? Back then, cross-border payments were difficult, expensive, and frustrating. Today, after processing over 890 million transactions and expanding our reach to 60 per cent of the continent, we are proud to be building the financial rails that carry the dreams of millions.
But this journey is about more than just the technology, it’s really about people – enabling their dreams, relationships and innovation. I’ve seen a small family-run business in Nigeria go global, selling goods to customers in the US and the Middle East. I’ve seen a couple in London plan their wedding in Nigeria without the stress of traditional money transfers. I’ve seen how millions of people in the African diaspora send digital remittances that help pay school fees, fund hospital bills, and support everyday life back home. I’ve seen ride-hailing platforms scale across the continent, all made possible by seamless digital payments.
I’ve seen gaming companies like Epic Games grow and scale, tapping into Africa’s booming digital economy. I’ve seen global companies grow faster by working with merchants of record — local experts who handle payments, taxes, and regulations for them. Which means they can sell in Africa without setting up in every country. Beyond all these being success stories – they are proof that when we make payments easy, we make life easier for people.
The numbers tell the story too — by 2030, Africa’s digital payment economy is expected to reach $1.5 trillion. Our consumer spending is set to hit $3 trillion, and business revenues could cross $500 billion. More importantly, the continent is leading the world in mobile money innovation. As of 2023, over 70 per cent of the world’s mobile money accounts and transactions came from Africa. This is not by accident — it’s the result of everyday people embracing technology to improve their lives.
Innovation is also touching every corner. With AI helping small businesses access credit in minutes instead of months. Blockchain is being used to secure land records in Rwanda. Digital IDs in countries like Ghana and Nigeria are opening doors for more people to join the financial system. These technologies are unlocking trade and growth. They are helping a woman in Lagos sell shea butter to a customer in Europe, enabling tech startups in Cairo to work with developers in Dakar, and giving a South African e-commerce company the tools to sell in Kenya, all with a few taps.
Still, we can’t ignore the gaps. About 860 million people in Africa still don’t have access to the internet. Many brilliant startups struggle to grow beyond their borders because of regulatory roadblocks. But these challenges are also opportunities. We need stronger infrastructure, cheaper data, and better digital education. We need to invest in the last mile — that final stretch of connection that ensures no one is left behind.
When we come together; governments, businesses, investors, the diaspora, and everyday users — we can build a system where payments work in real time, across borders, for everyone. Where digital ID makes it easier to access credit. Where logistics powered by AI can deliver across countries in days, not weeks. And it’s not a question of if this is possible or not, it’s already happening. But we need more collaboration. Regulators must create environments that welcome innovation, not slow it down. Entrepreneurs should focus on solving real African problems. And investors must back ideas designed for Africa’s context, not imported solutions that don’t fit our realities — while also deploying more patient capital to build infrastructure and solve challenges that limit scale.
The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) shows what’s possible — a $3.4 trillion opportunity to grow our trade and markets. But we can’t just digitize trade; we need to rethink it. Customs, logistics, payments, and policy must all work hand in hand. Imagine a single African market where a Ugandan farmer gets paid before their coffee leaves for Germany, or a Tunisian tech startup pays its remote team in Zambia instantly. That’s the power of a connected continent, and payments are at the heart of it.
Flutterwave is committed to building this future. We’re not just here to process payments. We’re here to connect people, unlock possibilities, and help African innovation shine on the global stage. On this Africa Day, let’s remind ourselves of the power we hold when we work together. Digital payment culture is not only unifying African people at home and abroad; it’s helping us build a continent where anyone, anywhere, can thrive.
The future is ours to shape. Let’s build it together — one payment, one connection, one dream at a time.
Agboola is the Founder and CEO, Flutterwave
