Africa must support home-grown digital advancement for value

ACCRA, May 7 (Xinhua) -- Ghana's central bank governor, Johnson Asiama, has said that Africa must support home-grown digital advancement and leverage advanced technologies to create value and drive economic growth.

With at least 49 percent of adults in sub-Saharan Africa having access to digital financing, the continent has enough momentum for technology-led growth, Asiama said during the 2026 3i Africa Summit on fintech and digital technology investments.

The progress in expanded access signals a transition and underscores the task of making that progress count in the lives and economies of Africans, he said Wednesday.

"Mobile money and branchless banking models have long driven this progress, bringing financial services closer to underserved populations," Asiama said. "It is now being reinforced by broader technological developments, including digital credit, digital trade, and evolving micro, small, and small enterprise (MSME) financing models."

"This progress points to an important shift. The next phase of digital finance will not be defined by payments alone. Across our markets, the basic payment infrastructure is increasingly in place," he said.

"The opportunity now lies in building the next layer of value," the governor said.

The financial products needed now, he said, include those that respond to the realities of women, MSMEs, young people, and the informal sector, including digital credit, merchant payments, embedded finance, supply-chain finance, and cross-border services.

He called for stronger support for homegrown digital technology systems, adding that the continent's digital transformation must not only grow but also mature, urging regulatory institutions to base their actions on Africa's clearly defined priorities and ensure stronger coordination in implementation.

Furthermore, the governor emphasized the need for regulatory measures to protect the public, safeguard the integrity of the financial system, and maintain stability.

Various African technology and financial market regulators are attending the three-day summit themed "The Next Frontier: Shaping Africa's Integrated FinTech Future", focusing on promoting digital finance through infrastructure, cross-border payment interoperability, and propelling innovation to enhance economic growth and inclusion across Africa.