28 Nov - 04 Dec, 2025
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How Nigeria Is Emerging as a case study for Digital Payment Transformation in Africa
Mr. Omegere John Patrick, DAKSHIN
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Africa has long been recognised as a global leader in the digital payment revolution. Driven primarily by fintech innovations and telecom-led mobile money services, the continent has witnessed rapid uptake of digital payments, with up to 81.8 billion transactions valued at US$1.1 trillion processed annually. East African countries—especially Kenya, the birthplace of M-Pesa, along with Uganda and Tanzania—pioneered this growth and have historically led in mobile money adoption.
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Key Developments in the Global South |
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India’s External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar Urges Global South Leadership in Biological Weapons Convention Reforms |
At the landmark conference marking 50 years of the Biological Weapons Convention, India’s EAM Dr S. Jaishankar issued a blunt assessment of global vulnerability. He said scientific advances have outpaced global regulations, creating new pathways for biological misuse—from synthetic biology to AI-driven manipulation. Calling biological threats borderless and fast-moving, he said weak health systems in many nations could become global security risks. Jaishankar stressed that the Global South has the most to lose and the most to contribute. |
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India and the International Social Security Association Discuss Deepening Social Security Ties for the Global South |
Union Minister of Labour and Employment Shri Mansukh Mandaviya met Prof. Mohammed Azman, President of the International Social Security Association (ISSA) and CEO of PERKESO, in New Delhi. As per the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Prof. Azman congratulated India on the implementation of the labour codes and commended the country's efforts in expanding social protection coverage for its workforce. During the meeting, both leaders discussed avenues to enhance regional collaboration and deepen cooperation among Global South nations to build inclusive and resilient social protection systems. |
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India continues to expand its humanitarian assistance to Sri Lanka under Operation Sagar Bandhu, with extensive air, sea, and ground operations delivering urgent relief to communities affected by Cyclone Ditwah. The relief consignment brought to Trincomalee by INS Sukanya of the Indian Navy was swiftly transported by the Sri Lankan Air Force to several severely impacted areas across the Eastern Province, ensuring that essential supplies reached families isolated by flooding and landslides. Indian rescue teams continued large-scale life-saving evacuations across multiple districts, bringing vulnerable residents from remote and inaccessible areas to safety. |
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India has approved a more than $800 million plan to boost production of rare earth magnets to secure supplies and reduce import dependence. The cabinet approved a 72.8 billion rupee (RM3.8 billion) scheme to promote rare earth permanent magnet manufacturing. This initiative aims to establish 6,000 metric tons per year of integrated manufacturing capacity in India. Rare-earth permanent magnets are among the strongest permanent magnets made from rare-earth element alloys. They are critical components in electric vehicles, aerospace, and renewable energy sectors. The government said the plan will help secure the “supply chain for domestic industries”. The scheme involves offering sales-linked incentives and subsidies to manufacturers. |
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India and Venezuela have agreed to strengthen cooperation in key areas, including trade, health and pharmaceuticals, digital technology, agriculture, and development partnership. The fifth India-Venezuela Foreign Office Consultations took place in New Delhi and was co-chaired by the Ministry of External Affairs’ Secretary (East) P. Kumaran and Venezuela’s Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tatiana Josefina Pugh Moreno. The Ministry of External Affairs said that both sides also reaffirmed their commitment towards enhancing collaboration in multilateral forums of mutual interest. They exchanged views on regional and international developments and agreed to coordinate closely in multilateral fora, advancing the India-Venezuela partnership. |
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A high-level delegation from Rwanda, comprising government officials, academic leaders, and UNFPA Rwanda representatives, has successfully concluded a ten-day learning visit to India focused on strengthening midwifery education and maternal health systems. The visit, facilitated by UNFPA India in close collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, was organised under the AIM for Change! Initiative - a two-year project supported by the Government of India through the United Nations Office for South–South Triangular Cooperation. The initiative supports Rwanda’s efforts to strengthen midwifery capacities and accelerate progress in reducing maternal mortality. |
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Nigeria’s Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Bagudu, underscored that the country is committed to deeper South-South economic cooperation with Tunisia. The Minister said this while receiving his Tunisian counterpart, Mr Samir Abdelhafidh, in Abuja. While also receiving senior Tunisian officials, Mrs Achwek Snoussi and Mr Gara Nader, Bagudu stated that South-South collaboration, particularly among countries with shared aspirations, would facilitate their development and reduce their dependence on the North. He stated that the visit highlighted a renewed drive by Nigeria and Tunisia to enhance collaboration in common areas of interest, including national planning, trade expansion, investment mobilisation, and development strategy. |
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African Union Commission (AUC) Deputy Chairperson Selma Malika Haddadi urged African governments, development partners, and the private sector to take decisive, coordinated action to accelerate digital transformation in agriculture, describing it as essential for the continent’s prosperity, resilience, and food security. Speaking at the opening of the Inaugural African Union Conference on Digital Agriculture in Addis Ababa, Haddadi said the continent can no longer rely on traditional farming systems in the face of climate shocks, degraded soil and water resources, limited access to finance, persistent post-harvest losses and the declining involvement of youth and women in agriculture.
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The 2025 Africa Investment Forum (AIF) Market Days wrapped up in Rabat, Morocco, with $15.3 billion in investment interest covering 39 bankable projects, underscoring a growing global appetite for African opportunities. African Development Bank Group President Sidi Ould Tah announced the outcome at the close of the three-day event. "The conclusion of the Africa Investment Forum's 2025 Market Days marks a new beginning, full of optimism, for the future of our continent," he said. Under the theme, “Bridging the Gap: Mobilising Private Capital to Unlock Africa’s Full Potential”, this year’s edition drew financial backing from 32 global private-sector organisations—double the number in 2024 – highlighting the Forum’s rising profile as a premier marketplace for investment in Africa. |
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South Africa has launched a major new initiative under its Business 20 (B20) presidency: the B20 South Africa Digital Inclusion Fund, a $100 million (about R1.7 billion) vehicle aimed at helping African entrepreneurs close the digital divide and grow the continent’s digital economy. The announcement marks one of the most concrete outcomes of the country’s leadership of the B20 Digital Transformation Task Force. The fund is designed to back early-stage technology start-ups across Africa, especially those building solutions that expand connectivity, digital skills, digital education, healthcare access, agri-tech, and financial inclusion. |
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The fifth edition of the India Internet Governance Forum (IIGF-2025) concluded after two days of discussions at the India Habitat Centre and the India International Centre here in the national capital. The multi-stakeholder gathering, attended by representatives from central ministries, technology companies, civil society organisations, universities, and international bodies, deliberated on how to nurture an open, trusted, and inclusive internet ecosystem in India. Guided by the theme "Advancing Internet Governance for an Inclusive and Sustainable Viksit Bharat", the forum examined three sub-themes: Inclusive Digital Future, Digital Infrastructure for Resilient and Sustainable Growth and AI for People, Planet and Progress. |
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A Conference of Public Entities for Digital Development in Central Africa (CADNAC) is being formed. The drafting of the organisation’s founding texts was the focus of a meeting held in Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Alongside the host country, the Republic of the Congo, Gabon, the Central African Republic, Burundi, and Chad took part in the discussions. During two days of work, the delegations made progress on several major issues, including the finalisation of CADNAC’s founding act and the development of a framework for a subregional digital strategy. They also held in-depth discussions on pooling sovereign digital solutions and harmonising regulatory frameworks. These elements are considered essential to strengthening digital sovereignty in Central Africa. |
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The International Water Management Institute and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation have launched SoLAR Phase II, a multi-country initiative designed to accelerate socially inclusive and climate-resilient solar adoption in agriculture. Building on the results of Phase I (2019–2024), the programme now spans India, Bangladesh, Kenya and Ethiopia, aiming to expand solar irrigation solutions and strengthen clean energy transitions in farming communities. The expanded programme now moves into a multi-year implementation phase focused on embedding solar irrigation within national climate resilience plans. |
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The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is launching a digital trade platform for African countries in partnership with the World Economic Forum, blockchain infrastructure firm IOTA and the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change. The platform, named the Africa Digital Access and Public Infrastructure for Trade Initiative (ADAPT), will enable African merchants to trade among each other using digital identities and stablecoins over IOTA’s blockchain network. At inception, AfCFTA was designed to boost intra-African trade by creating a single continental market that removes trade barriers, liberalises goods and services and enables the free movement of people, capital and products. |
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Papua New Guinea has officially launched its Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and ecosystem. During the Digital Transformation Summit 2025, the country’s Prime Minister, Hon James Marape, introduced a Digital ID called SevisPass, provisioned to a multi-functional digital identity wallet called SevisWallet. TECH5, an innovator in the field of biometrics and digital identity, is the government’s technology partner for this project, providing its T5-OmniTrust platform that includes the trust service, digital wallet, decentralised contactless capture and matching (1:N and 1:1) functionality through T5-AirSnap and T5-OmniMatch ABIS platforms, as well as decentralised Digital ID credential technology allowing storage of an ID in a secure machine-readable code: the T5-Cryptograph.
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H E Dr Saud bin Hamoud al Habsi, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources, on Sunday received Yacine el Mahdi Oualid, Algeria’s Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries, for talks on strengthening cooperation across key sectors. H E Habsi welcomed the Algerian delegation and underlined the importance of sustained joint work in agriculture, fisheries and water resources. He noted the depth of Oman–Algeria relations and their steady development. Oualid expressed his appreciation for Oman’s achievements in agriculture and fisheries and emphasised Algeria’s interest in enhancing cooperation, particularly through the exchange of expertise in agriculture, marine fishing and rural development. |
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Kenya has signed an agreement with Malaysia allowing duty-free shipments of agricultural products to the Asian nation. The deal was concluded during a meeting on Monday in Nairobi between Kenyan President William Ruto and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. The partnership, reported by local media, is seen as a major step in strengthening bilateral cooperation. The deal followed a meeting in Nairobi between Kenyan President William Ruto and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. The partnership, reported by local media, is seen as a major step in strengthening bilateral cooperation. |
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Zambia hosted a high-level delegation from the Kingdom of Eswatini for a strategic learning tour focused on strengthening institutional capacity for Green Climate Fund (GCF) accreditation, improving access to climate finance and enhancing governance systems for climate-resilient development. Facilitated by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the visit brought together Eswatini’s National Designated Authority (NDA), officials from the Eswatini Development and Savings Bank (Eswatini Bank), the Eswatini Environment Authority and key ministries. The learning tour is part of the GCF Readiness project Strengthening National Fiduciary Capacity for GCF Accreditation of Eswatini Development and Savings Bank and the Eswatini Environment Authority, implemented by FAO Eswatini. |
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As both nations look to keep their long-standing partnership in good health, the health ministries of Vietnam and Mexico have been accelerating cooperation, especially in traditional medicines. During a working visit to Mexico, a delegation led by Deputy Minister of Health Do Xuan Tuyen held a bilateral meeting with Mexican Minister of Health David Kershenobich Stalnikowitz to advance comprehensive health cooperation between the two countries. The meeting took place as the two nations mark the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic relations (1975–2025), a significant milestone opening a new chapter in bilateral health cooperation. |
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The Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, today urged countries in the region to strengthen health legislation and reinforce primary health care, key pillars for more equitable, resilient, and sustainable health systems. During his official visit to the Dominican Republic, Dr. Barbosa presented an overview of health progress and challenges in the Americas to legislators, national authorities, and public health experts during a keynote address at the Dominican Senate on the state of health in the region. “Health legislation does more than regulate policies; it shapes lives, determines futures, and strengthens a country’s ability to guarantee the right to health,” said the PAHO Director. |
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The Smart Zambia Institute (SZI) and the Ministry of Health (MoH), in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and supported by the Global Fund, officially opened the Smart Health Systems (SHS) Connectivity National Training of Trainers (ToT) Workshop, marking an important step in Zambia’s journey toward a digitally enabled health system. The week-long workshop brings together provincial ICT officers, biomedical engineers, ZAMMSA personnel, and MoH technical teams from across the country for intensive capacity-building on digital connectivity systems being deployed under the Smart Health Systems project. |
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Syria Health Minister Musab Al-Ali discussed with UNICEF’s representative to Syria Meritxell Relaño Arana avenues of cooperation in healthcare. The meeting addressed mechanisms for rehabilitating 82 health centres as well as plans for vaccine distribution, enhancing cooperation in building the capacities of health institutions, and organising workshops to train and empower medical personnel. The Syrian Ministry of Health received in August three advanced refrigeration trucks from UNICEF as part of efforts to strengthen the national immunisation system with support from the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI). |
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