M-PESA Ethiopia engages university students on mobile money and fintech innovation
Date: 2025-12-22
By: Nana Appiah Acquaye
M-PESA
Ethiopia has held mobile money and developer portal awareness sessions at
Haramaya University and Dire Dawa University, engaging more than 350 students
as part of efforts to strengthen digital skills and innovation among young
people.
The
sessions focused on the role of mobile money in advancing financial inclusion
and the broader digital payments ecosystem, highlighting how technology is
reshaping everyday economic activity. Students were introduced to key concepts
underpinning mobile financial services and the opportunities emerging within
Ethiopia’s growing fintech landscape.
Beyond
awareness, the discussions moved into practical innovation, with M-PESA
Ethiopia presenting its Developer Portal and application programming interface
access through a sandbox environment. Students were guided through the process
of experimenting with APIs and progressing from initial development to live
deployment, with particular interest generated around mini applications and
real-world fintech use cases.
According
to M-PESA Ethiopia, the engagement aligns with the objectives of Ethiopia’s
Digital Ethiopia 2030 strategy, which prioritises digital literacy, human
capital development, and inclusive digital growth. The strong participation and
interactive discussions reflected growing interest among students in fintech
careers, software development, and innovation pathways.
The
company said the university outreach forms part of its broader commitment to
developing local digital talent and ensuring that young Ethiopians play an
active role in the country’s digital transformation, not only as users of
digital services but also as creators and innovators.
