The Real Problem with African Payments Isn’t Technology – Ehi Ijewere, Senior Product Manager at KoraPay

Why It Matters

The insight reshapes how investors and founders design African fintech, prioritizing localized infrastructure and regulatory reform to unlock trade and GDP growth.

Key Takeaways

• Kora builds payment infrastructure tailored to each African market
• Fragmented payment ecosystems hinder cross‑border trade on the continent
• Product managers should focus on problem discovery before scaling solutions
• Regulatory openness, not protectionism, could accelerate fintech adoption in Africa
• Localized solutions precede any attempt at pan‑African fintech rollout

Pulse Analysis

Africa’s fintech landscape is defined less by a lack of technology than by a patchwork of payment rails that vary dramatically from one country to the next. Nigeria’s reliance on bank transfers, Kenya’s mobile‑money dominance, and Egypt’s card‑centric ecosystem illustrate how divergent infrastructures create friction for merchants and consumers alike. This fragmentation hampers cross‑border commerce, inflates transaction costs, and slows the continent’s integration into the global digital economy, setting Africa apart from regions where standardized payment layers already exist.

Ijewere’s product philosophy underscores that solving these challenges begins with deep problem discovery rather than premature scaling. He argues that in zero‑to‑one ventures, the CEO should embody the product manager’s role, ensuring the vision remains clear before formal processes are introduced. At Kora, this translates into building solutions that first win in a single market, then adapt to neighboring economies, leveraging localized insights on regulations, fraud patterns, and user behavior. By dedicating 90 % of effort to understanding the problem, the resulting payment products become almost inevitable in their fit.

Regulatory posture emerges as the next lever for rapid progress. Ijewere calls for merit‑based openness, shifting from protectionist frameworks to rules that reward impact regardless of origin. Such reforms would lower entry barriers for innovative fintechs, enable seamless cross‑border payment rails, and catalyze trade flows that could boost GDP across the continent. As Africa moves from fragmented foundations toward interconnected financial infrastructure, investors and policymakers alike must prioritize localized product design and regulatory agility to capture the continent’s untapped economic potential.