Visa holds talks with Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana officials on digital payments and financial inclusion

By:  Nana Appiah Acquaye

Visa has held high-level discussions with government and financial sector leaders in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana on advancing digital payments, financial inclusion, and digital transformation initiatives across West Africa.

The engagements were led by Tareq Muhmood, who met with Côte d’Ivoire Prime Minister Robert Beugré Mambé and Minister of Digital Transition and Technological Innovation Djibril Ouattara in Abidjan.

The discussions focused on Côte d’Ivoire’s digital transformation priorities, including the expansion of digital payments, support for SME payment acceptance, public sector digitalisation, tourism development, and financial inclusion initiatives.

Visa said it remains focused on strengthening digital payment systems locally and across neighbouring countries in West and Central Africa as part of efforts to deepen its regional footprint.

In Ghana, Muhmood also met with the Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Johnson Pandit Asiama to discuss payment system resilience, government payment digitisation, and cybersecurity.

The engagements form part of broader collaboration efforts between governments, central banks, and private sector technology providers aimed at building more secure, inclusive, and resilient digital economies across Africa.