{"id":8984,"date":"2026-09-28T16:25:46","date_gmt":"2026-09-28T15:25:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/techstream.africa\/?p=8984"},"modified":"2026-09-28T16:25:46","modified_gmt":"2026-09-28T15:25:46","slug":"mastercard-pushes-africas-connected-digital-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/techstream.africa\/?p=8984","title":{"rendered":"Mastercard Pushes Africa\u2019s Connected Digital Future"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Africa\u2019s digital economy is entering a new phase. The focus is increasingly shifting from simply getting people and businesses online to building connected systems that can turn digital participation into economic value. At GITEX Nigeria 2026, Mastercard used its presence to highlight interoperability, financial innovation, local capability and cybersecurity as key pillars of that transition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Held across Abuja and Lagos from August 31 to September 3, GITEX Nigeria brought together technology companies, governments, financial institutions, startups and investors. Mastercard\u2019s participation centred on how these stakeholders can build digital infrastructure that is more connected, inclusive and trusted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the major themes was interoperability. African countries have invested heavily in digital identity, real-time payments and digital government platforms, but these systems can operate independently. Connecting them could make digital services easier to access while creating new opportunities for businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mastercard executive Kari Tukur, vice president for Core Payments, West Africa, argued that identity, payments and government services should be designed to work together. For citizens, this could mean verifying an identity, accessing a service and completing a payment through a more seamless digital experience. For businesses, digital transactions can also create financial records that may support access to additional financial services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mastercard also highlighted its Community Pass platform as an example of how digital credentials can connect underserved communities with financial institutions, governments and service providers. Such systems can potentially help farmers and small traders develop digital profiles while connecting them to payments, markets and other services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another issue raised at the event was the importance of local ownership and capability. Mastercard executive Olusola Olakanmi said global technology partnerships can accelerate access to infrastructure and expertise, but their longer-term value also depends on strengthening local skills, engineering capacity, product development and opportunities for African businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Financial infrastructure was another part of the conversation. Mastercard noted that interoperability can help banks, fintechs, mobile-money operators and other payment providers connect more efficiently. This becomes increasingly important as African businesses engage in cross-border commerce and digital financial services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mastercard\u2019s payment infrastructure also extends to international money movement. Its Mastercard Move service supports transfers across more than 200 countries and territories and more than 150 currencies, connecting different financial endpoints.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But greater connectivity also creates greater exposure to cyber threats. Mastercard therefore placed cybersecurity prominently on its GITEX agenda. Its masterclass examined AI-driven risks, fraud prevention and cyber resilience, including a simulated cyber-crisis exercise designed to demonstrate how organisations can prepare for emerging threats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The broader message from Mastercard\u2019s GITEX Nigeria participation was that Africa\u2019s digital future cannot be built around isolated technologies. Identity, payments, financial infrastructure, cybersecurity and local expertise increasingly need to work together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Mastercard, the opportunity lies in helping connect these systems while working with governments, banks, fintechs, merchants and consumers. For Africa, the larger challenge is ensuring that digital connectivity translates into stronger businesses, more accessible services and greater economic participation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

GITEX Nigeria 2026 therefore underscored a changing priority:<\/a> Africa\u2019s digital economy is moving beyond adoption toward building the infrastructure, trust and local capability required to make connectivity economically meaningful.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa\u2019s digital economy is entering a new phase. The focus is increasingly shifting from simply getting people and businesses online to building connected systems that can turn digital participation into economic value. At GITEX Nigeria 2026, Mastercard used its presence to highlight interoperability, financial innovation, local capability and cybersecurity as key pillars of that transition….<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8984","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/techstream.africa\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8984","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/techstream.africa\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/techstream.africa\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techstream.africa\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techstream.africa\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8984"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/techstream.africa\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8984\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8986,"href":"https:\/\/techstream.africa\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8984\/revisions\/8986"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/techstream.africa\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8984"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techstream.africa\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8984"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techstream.africa\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8984"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}