Safaricom’s M-Pesa, a titan in mobile money, has inked a deal with Onafriq, Africa’s leading payment juggernaut, to make sending money to Ethiopia a breeze from anywhere across Africa, Europe, North America, and Australia. This collaboration, previously known as MFS Africa and now branded Onafriq, spans 40 countries and paves the way for Ethiopians to pocket remittances via M-PESA, green-lit by Ethiopia’s central bank in July 2023.
Paul Kavavu, the wizard behind M-PESA at Safaricom, shared, “We’re on a mission to simplify payments, and folding international money transfers into M-PESA does just that. With Ethiopia raking in over five billion USD in remittances each year, our alliance offers the Ethiopian diaspora a swift, formal pathway to support their families back home.”
Over at Onafriq (you might know them as the outfit previously masquerading as MFS Africa), Nika Naghavi is talking big about how this partnership is a game-changer for Ethiopia’s digital ambitions. “Our mantra is keeping payments easy-peasy and connecting folks far and wide. Hooking up with M-Pesa not only broadens our African footprint but also cements our rep as the continent’s top payments network,” she explained, laying out the vision for a digital Ethiopia by 2025.
