E-Business
How Platforms and Payments are Driving Commerce in Africa
Is cash still king? Perhaps, but the acceptance and use of digital channels across Africa are rapidly increasing, experiencing their highest adoption rate in history.
Currently, Africa is one of the fastest-growing consumer markets in the world. According to Economist Intelligence, the continent will be the world’s second-fastest-growing major region in 2024, just behind Asia.
In the last decade, e-commerce has experienced phenomenal growth rates worldwide, with e-commerce sales projected to grow to USD 7 trillion globally this year. Across Africa, the retail landscape is undergoing a significant shift as contactless payments and mobile money become widely integrated. Consumers in many African countries are increasingly embracing these methods for transactions.
This SeerBit whitepaper explores Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), undoubtedly one of the smallest e-commerce regions in the world, but one with high growth potential.
The Rise of e-commerce in Africa
The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated a major digital transformation across Africa, with the demand for digital payments experiencing a significant and sustained rise. The result? Digital payments have become an essential feature in the continent’s financial landscape.
One of the most significant developments in alternative payment methods in Africa continues to be the rise of mobile money. The phenomenal growth of mobile money can be attributed to three key factors: increased access to technology, challenges in accessing traditional financial services, and the pandemic-driven rise of contactless payments.
This is particularly true in Sub-Saharan Africa, where 144 mobile money providers are at the forefront of transforming consumer transactions. Notably, key players such as M-Pesa (by Safaricom), MoMo (by MTN) and Orange Money dominate the market share, as reported by Statista.
Notably, the region boasts 171 active mobile money service providers, indicating the expanding influence and acceptance of mobile money in the African financial landscape.
The secret to Africa’s pivot to greater e-commerce sales has also been faster growth in B2B sales, which layers online sales onto the existing network of informal retailers in the region, rather than supplanting them. B2B e-commerce platforms in Sub-Saharan Africa are thriving because they have overcome consumer trust and logistics issues by working with and tapping into the informal markets, rather than working around these sales channels. This has allowed the B2B platforms to provide goods into remote regions, well beyond urban areas.
Cross-border transactions have also played a key role in driving e-commerce. They make up more than half of all e-commerce transaction volumes in Sub-Saharan Africa. A portion of these cross-border volumes in SSA come from consumers accessing the rising domestic African e-commerce players across local borders, such as Jumia (Nigeria), Kilimall (Kenya), and Takealot (South Africa). Domestic e-commerce provision in Sub-Saharan Africa is only just beginning. Nevertheless, it presents an opportunity for Sub-Saharan Africa to develop its own big hitters in the market and enhance the continent’s connection to the rest of the world.
Challenges to e-commerce Growth in Africa
Uneven connection across the region
Sub-Saharan Africa is home to more than a billion people, a large proportion of whom live in low-income and lower-middle-income countries. This huge population is not uniformly connected to the internet and there is some evidence that not all users are utilising their connectivity to its full capacity.
High inflation subduing consumer spending
Rising inflation means that individuals have less discretionary income and tend to spend less money on splurges or “luxury” products. Price becomes the leading factor in decision-making for many consumers. Across Africa, this may also mean looking to brick-and-mortar retailers and informal markets which mainly trade in cash to secure goods at lower prices.
Functionality limits user adoption
According to The State of Instant and Inclusive Payment Systems In Africa – SIIPS 2022 report, functionality pain points erode trust.
The lack of inclusivity translates into sub-optimal usage. Consumer research in Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, Tanzania, Zambia, the DRC and Egypt suggests that many end-users use digital payments only for limited use cases, such as sending and receiving money between friends and family. Consumer payments to merchants remain under-digitized: only 44 percent of individual respondents make P2B payments digitally.
The Role of Payment Platforms
Across Sub-Saharan Africa, a digital payment revolution is quietly unfolding. Fueled by the surge in mobile phones, the drive for financial inclusion, and the push for digital transformation, alternative payment methods are rapidly gaining much welcomed traction. Traditional banking infrastructure often struggles to reach the vast unbanked and underbanked populations, but these innovative solutions bridge the gap, offering financial services to a dramatically wider segment.
For example, according to the Global Findex Database (World Bank), in the region only three percent of the population has access to a credit card, while mobile phones have proliferated quickly, with a 75 percent penetration rate, making alternative payment methods a perfect match for the specific needs of Sub-Saharan Africa.
As Aida Diarra, senior vice-president and head of Visa in Sub-Saharan Africa puts it, “The fact that there are 261 million people today that do not have access to financial services – and combine the fact that there are less than two million businesses that accept digital payments – it creates an environment where innovation has to play a role to drive financial inclusion and commerce across the continent.”
Sub-Saharan Africa is now considered the global epicentre of mobile money, due to its 48 percent of global share of registered accounts. In 2022, this region had 763 million mobile money accounts, out of the 1.6 billion accounts worldwide. Furthermore, this trend has spiked with the high registration of new accounts in 2022, as the area was responsible for 59 percent of all new accounts registered globally.
Mobile money services have gained widespread adoption across the continent, with countries like Kenya and Ghana leading the way. In Kenya, for instance, mobile money platforms have revolutionised the way people transact, with transactions made via mobile wallets equivalent to a significant percentage of the country’s GDP. This success can be attributed to high mobile phone penetration, limited traditional banking infrastructure, and the affordability and convenience of mobile money services.
As the e-commerce sector becomes increasingly competitive, retail businesses need to adjust their approaches to include providing more value propositions for their main audience, localised e-commerce solutions and engaging more with a younger generation of consumers.
Conclusion
Sub-Saharan Africa’s payment landscape is undergoing a dynamic transformation, driven by innovation, alternative solutions and vibrant new market players. However, a critical gap remains. The infrastructure, regulations, and overall payment ecosystem haven’t fully matured to support the optimal development of payment services and remittance flows across the region.
Despite this, e-commerce in Africa is well underway. Estimates suggest about 264 e-commerce start-ups are operational across the continent, active in at least 23 countries. This indicates a significant potential to create new jobs – as many as three million by 2025. These jobs will be directly in online marketplaces, supporting services and spin-off economic activity.
E-Business
Vatican Says AI Possesses ‘Shadow of Evil’, Calls for Careful Regulation
The Vatican has issued new guidelines on the use of artificial intelligence (AI), warning about the potential for “the shadow of evil” in the technology, which it said offered “a source of huge opportunities but also profound risks.”
AI can fundamentally make a positive contribution in various areas of societal life, according to a newly published document.
“Yet, as in all areas where humans are called to make decisions, the shadow of evil also looms here.”
In the new document meant to admonish the Catholic faithful, the church warned that the technology should be used to complement human intelligence, “rather than replace its richness.”
The document was approved by Pope Francis, who has repeatedly warned that the application of artificial intelligence should be grounded in ethical and moral considerations.
“In all areas where humans are called to make decisions, the shadow of evil also looms here,” the Vatican said in the paper.
It added, “The moral evaluation of this technology will need to take into account how it is directed and used.”
The paper “is a synthesis of a lot of the existing materials that have been developing organically over the last while,” drawing on Francis’s past statements and writings to look at A.I.’s effect on relationships, education, warfare and work, said the Rev. Paul Tighe, one of the people who worked on it.
The paper according to New York Times was written over six months by a Vatican team in consultation with various experts, including those in A.I.
In light of the dangers, the document with the Latin title “Antiqua et Nova” (Old and New), states that governments and international organizations should ensure AI is used for the benefit of all.
“This issue requires careful regulation, as misinformation — especially through AI-controlled or influenced media — can spread unintentionally, fuelling political polarization and social unrest,” the document warned.
However, the head of the Catholic Church frequently warns of the dangers of AI in public appearances and seeks to bring ethical concerns surrounding the technology to the forefront.
E-Business
Kaspersky Shares Tips to Stay Safe While Using AI Assistants
The new DeepSeek AI assistant has attracted a lot of attention in recent days. Kaspersky experts have also detected scam activity related to it.
Due to high numbers of new users and an alleged cyberattack on DeepSeek, there are glitches in the registration process on DeepSeek’s app and website – many registrations cannot come through.
This situation can be used by cybercriminals to steal the credentials of users through fake DeepSeek web pages.
Through such fake registration pages, attackers can collect users’ emails and passwords. These can be exploited to access users’ accounts – on DeepSeek or in other services (if the password is the same for multiple accounts).
There were also several new crypto tokens based on the DeepSeek hype available for sale. They are not tied to the DeepSeek brand officially, hence their capitalisation is speculative.
Such scam schemes like creating phishing emails are quite widespread with popular AI models – it’s important to recognize that cybercriminals will inevitably seek to exploit such tools for malicious purposes.
“What stands out in the case of DeepSeek is its open-source nature. While open-source frameworks foster transparency, collaboration, and innovation, they also introduce significant security and ethical risks.
“When you’re using an open-source tool, you can’t always be sure how your data is being handled, especially if someone else has deployed it,” comments Leonid Bezvershenko, Security Researcher, Kaspersky GReAT.
“Exploitation of open-source software was a major trend in the threat landscape last year, with cybercriminals running complex campaigns to embed malware. In 2024, our open-source scanner detected over 12,000 malicious packages in open repositories.
“Without centralised oversight, threat actors can start creating compromised versions of software or introduce backdoors under the guise of tools for using the API of DeepSeek, presenting serious risks to users and organisations.”
E-Business
NDPC @ 2025 Data Privacy Day, Calls for Collaboration on Awareness
Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has called for increased collaboration to raise awareness and foster data privacy and protection across Nigeria.
The call was made by Dr. Vincent Olatunji, national commissioner, NDPC, during an event marking the 2025 World Data Privacy Day in Lagos.
World Data Privacy Day, observed globally on January 28 every year, serves to highlight the importance of data privacy.
The theme for this year’s observance was “Respecting Privacy, Safeguarding Data, and Enabling Trust.”
Olatunji, who joined the event virtually, stressed that collective action was required to prioritise data privacy in order to attract foreign direct investment into Nigeria.
In his speech, Olatunji outlined the importance of protecting personal data, emphasising that everyone must understand how to safeguard their personal information.
“We need to know how to protect our personal information and data and make sure that we do not share personal information anyhow,” he said.
He also urged data controllers and processors to ensure the protection of data under their care.
Olatunji further discussed the necessity of developing a robust digital economy in the country, which depends on a comprehensive approach to data management, policies, and strategies.
“We all need to work together to make it happen,” he added.
Highlighting the Commission’s progress, Olatunji noted that over 10,000 people had been trained, to create 500,000 jobs in the Nigerian economy through data protection initiatives.
Mr. Tokunbo Smith, president, Data Knowledge Information Privacy Protection Initiative (DKIPPI), also spoke at the event, urging Nigerians to make full use of the Nigeria Data Protection Law, which was passed in June 2023.
Smith praised President Bola Tinubu for signing the law into effect, calling it a “day of freedom for Nigerians.”
He highlighted the law’s provision that empowers individuals to take legal action against anyone who misuses their personal data.
Smith also commended the NDPC for its efforts in training data protection officers and providing certification exams, encouraging Nigerians to leverage these opportunities to protect their data and explore career paths in data protection.
Mr. Fiyinfolu Okedara, guest speaker, further emphasised the need for continuous awareness of data privacy.
He explained that data protection should be an ongoing process, not just a one-time event.
Okedara urged both organisations and individuals to prioritise data privacy education year-round, rather than only on World Data Privacy Day.
During the panel discussion, Mr. Gbenga Sesan, executive director, Paradigm Initiative, stressed that respecting data privacy is a shared responsibility.
He urged people to safeguard their personal data by not writing it down carelessly and to foster trust by ensuring data protection is prioritised.
Mr. Olumide Babalola, another panelist, raised awareness about the future implications of data privacy, predicting a time when children might sue their parents for creating digital footprints for them.
He stressed that consent should always be obtained before adding someone to a WhatsApp group, as failing to do so would constitute a breach of privacy.
The event aimed to foster greater awareness of data privacy and promote best practices among individuals and organisations, ensuring that data protection remains a priority in Nigeria’s evolving digital landscape.
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