Top 7 Payment Gateways in Africa for Mobile Apps

Africa's digital economy is booming and mobile apps are leading this charge. Mobile apps are now a key part of how businesses connect with customers and scale. With over 700 million mobile money users and increasing smartphone uses across the continent, the need for seamless and secure payment solutions has never been more important.

Whether you're launching an ecommerce app in Nigeria, a fintech product in Kenya, or subscription-based app in South Africa integrating the right payment gateway is very crucial. It affects everything from user trust and conversion rate to settlement speed and borderless reach.

Similar to how we explored the following:

• Payment gateways of UK

• Payment gateways of Australia

In this article, we’ll explore the top 7 payment gateways in Africa for mobile apps in 2025. You'll get a breakdown of the platform's features, pros & cons, and which one is good for your app whether you're just starting or scaling up.

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What is a Payment Gateway?

A payment gateway is a tool that helps you accept money online. When someone buys something from your app or website, the payment gateway makes sure their money goes from their bank or wallet to your account.

It works like a middle-man. It checks if the payment details are correct, if the person has enough money, and then safely sends the money to you. It also shows a quick message like “Payment Successful” to the user.

You don’t see all this happening, because it works in the background but it’s doing all the important work to make online payments happen.

So in simple words:

“ A payment gateway helps people pay you through your app or website**. It makes sure the money goes to you safely and quickly, without any trouble. “

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Flutterwave

Flutterwave is one of the most known and widely used payment gateway in Africa right now. It started in Nigeria back in 2016, and in just a few years, it became kind of a go-to solution for many startups, online stores, and even bigger brands across different countries. It lets businesses accept payments in lots of ways like cards, mobile money, or even from outside of Africa.

Another reason people really like Flutterwave is 'cause it’s easy to use. The dashboard is clean, it works well with apps (small or big ones), and the setup isn’t that hard. Even for non-tech folks, it's pretty simple to get started.

What makes it even better is that it's not just for Africa you can also accept payments from users in other countries too. So if your app or business is growing international, Flutterwave can still handle the payment part smoothly.

Countries/Regions Supported:

Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Rwanda, Uganda, Egypt, Zambia and many more (30+). It also accepts payments from countries like the USA, UK, Europe etc. which is great for global users.

Supported Payment Methods:

  - Debit & Credit cards

  - Bank Account

  - Mobile money

  - POS

  - M-Pesa

  - Bank Transfer

  - USSD







  

Security & Compliance:

  - ISO 27001 & 22301 Certification

  - PA DSS & PCI DSS Compliant

Transaction Fees:

- 2.9% + ZAR 1 LOCAL TRANSACTIONS - CARDS

- 2.5% for ACH/EFT

- 5% for Voucher

- 4.8% INTERNATIONAL TRANSACTIONS

- R10 per transfer (Transfer to Bank accounts)

Paystack

Paystack is another big name in Africa’s payment space, and it’s especially popular in Nigeria. It was launched in 2015 and quickly became a favorite for startups and small businesses who wanted something that just works without too much tech headache. A lot of people love it because the setup is smooth, and even non-tech guys can figure it out.

What makes Paystack stand out is how simple everything feels. From accepting payments to sending invoices, it's all pretty straight-forward. Plus, if your app needs recurring billing or subscriptions Paystack handles that well too.

After Stripe (a global giant) acquired it, Paystack got even better in terms of global support and features.

Countries/Regions Supported:

Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa. They're expanding slowly, but still mainly used in West Africa.

Supported Payment Methods:

  - Card

  - Bank Account

  - Bank Transfer

  - USSD

  - Apple Pay

  - Visa QR

  - Mobile Money

  - POS







  

Security & Compliance:

   - IP whitelisting

   - 2FA

   - Audit Logs

   - Custom roles

   - Transfer approvals

Transaction Fees:

- 2.9% + ZAR 1 For Local Transactions

- 3.1% + ZAR 1 For International Transactions

- EFT transactions are charged at 2% with no flat fee

- ZAR 1 fee waived for transactions less than ZAR 10

- ZAR 3 per transfer for Transfers to bank accounts

Onafriq (formerly MFS Africa)

Onafriq, which used to be called MFS Africa, is one of the biggest players when it comes to mobile money** in Africa. It’s not your typical card-based gateway. Instead, it connects over 400 million mobile wallets across the continent. So if your app wants to focus on local payments, peer-to-peer transfers, or reaching unbanked users, Onafriq is a great option.

This platform is really made for Africa’s real payment habits where mobile wallets are often more common than cards. It's especially useful for fintech apps, lending platforms, donation apps, or any service that needs to move money fast across different African countries.

It might take a bit more time to set up than others, but it’s super powerful once it’s live.

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Countries/Regions Supported:

Onafriq is active in over 35+ African countries**, including Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Uganda, Rwanda, Cameroon, Tanzania, Senegal, Malawi, and more. Very strong presence in Central and East Africa.

Supported Payment Methods:

  - Mobile Money Wallets

  - Bank Accounts

  - Prepaid Cards







  

Security & Compliance:

   - ISO 27001

   - CMML3 certification

   - SSAE18 (SOC1) Type 2 Audit

   - PCI DSS 3.2.2 Certified

   - GDPR compliant

   - EMV Certified and Compliant

Transaction Fees:

- 2.50% - 3.00% Mobile Money Services

- 1.50% + 1$ minimum per transaction for Disbursements

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DPO Group

DPO Group, also known as PayGate in some regions, is one of the biggest digital payment providers in East and Southern Africa**. It’s been around for a while and is trusted by businesses in hospitality, travel, e-commerce, and retail. Unlike newer gateways, DPO already has strong relationships with banks and mobile money providers in countries like Kenya, Uganda, and South Africa.

What’s nice about DPO is that it lets customers pay using a wide range of options, including local wallets, cards, and even regional services like Airtel Money. It may not be as flashy or developer-focused as Flutterwave or Paystack, but it works reliably and at scale especially for businesses that operate in more than one African country.

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Countries/Regions Supported:

Available in 20+ African countries**, especially strong in:

Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Namibia, Zambia, South Africa, Botswana, and others.

Supported Payment Methods:

  - Card Payment (Mastercard, VISA, American Express)

  - Mobile Money (Airtel Money, M-pesa, Orange money)

  - EFT

  - USSD

  - QR Code

  - PayPal







  

Security & Compliance:

   - PCI DSS Level 1 Compliance

   - SSL encryption

   - Fraud detection and monitoring tools

Transaction Fees:

- Card & wallet payments: ~1% - 3% per transaction

- Annually fee could range anywhere form $79 - $399

- Cross-border transactions: may include FX/conversion fees

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Interswitch

Interswitch is one of the oldest and most established payment platforms in Nigeria. It started way back in 2002**, before many other gateways even existed. Today, it’s still a major player especially when it comes to local card payments, government projects, utility payments, and bank integrations.

While it may not be as modern-looking as Flutterwave or Paystack, Interswitch is deeply integrated with Nigeria’s banking system. A lot of POS machines, ATM networks, and online payments still use Interswitch tech behind the scenes. If your app mainly targets Nigerian users, it’s a solid option.

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Countries/Regions Supported:

Primarily active in Nigeria**, with some presence in Ghana, Uganda, and a few other parts of West/East Africa. Interswitch enables payment acceptance in more than 185 countries globally.

Supported Payment Methods:

  - Debit and credit cards

  - mobile money

  - bank transfers

  - Quickteller

  - Verve Card







  

Security & Compliance:

   - PCL

   - ISO 22301

   - ISO 45001

   - ISO 9001

   - ISO 27001

   - ISO 20000-1

Transaction Fees:

- Setup fee: ₦150,000

- Transaction commission: 1.5% for local transactions (capped at ₦2,000)

- International transactions: 3.8%

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Skrill

Skrill isn’t really made for Africa from the start, but still, lots of people use it here, especially freelancers and small businesses who need to get paid from outside the continent. It’s kinda like PayPal, but most times cheaper and sometimes even faster too. It’s based in Europe but works all over the world.

Many developers and digital workers in Africa use Skrill to receive payments from clients in places like the US, UK or even other parts of Europe. Even though it doesn’t support mobile money like M-Pesa or MTN wallets, it’s still pretty handy when your app needs to do international payments or sell digital stuff online.

Countries/Regions Supported:

Skrill works in 100+ countries**, including all major African regions. You can send and receive money in Africa, but it’s mainly used in: Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Ghana, Egypt, and Morocco.

Supported Payment Methods:

  - Skrill wallet

  - Debit & credit cards

  - Bank account transfers

  - Cryptocurrency







  

Security & Compliance:

   - Secure Socket Layer (SSL)

   - 128-bit encryption

   - certified by VeriSign

Transaction Fees:

- ~1.45% - 4.99% per transaction

- No fee when you use Skrill Money Transfer to send money to an international bank account.

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VoguePay

VoguePay is a Nigerian-based payment gateway that focuses on simplicity and affordability**, especially for small businesses, startups, and developers working on MVPs (minimum viable products). It’s not as fancy or feature-heavy as some of the other big gateways, but it does the job and does it well for local use.

VoguePay is a good pick if you’re just getting started and don’t want to deal with too much setup or high fees. It works well for basic e-commerce, donations, and simple apps where you just need to collect money online without needing too many advanced features.

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Countries/Regions Supported:

Mainly available in Nigeria**. Some services are being tested in a few other countries, but still mostly local for now.

Supported Payment Methods:

  - Local debit & credit cards

  - Bank account payments

  - Mobile wallets







  

Security & Compliance:

   - 3D Secure authentication

   - encrypted transactions

   - anti-fraud system

Transaction Fees:

- 1.5% for local transactions

- 4.5% for international payments

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How to Choose the Right Payment Gateway for Your Mobile App

Choosing the right payment gateway can really affect how well your mobile app runs and how users feel about using it. Below are some of the main points to keep in mind:

• Country Availability:** Make sure the payment provider works in the country or countries where most of your users are. Some only cover a few regions, while others work more widely across Africa and outside.

• Settlement Speed: How fast you get your money matters a lot, especially if your business depends on daily cash flow. Some gateways settle in 24 hours, others may take longer.

• Mobile SDK and Developer Support: It’s important that the gateway offers mobile SDKs that are easy to work with. Good documentation and API tools can save time during integration and debugging.

• Transaction Fees and Setup Costs: Check and compare fees local vs. international, and any extra charges like for currency conversion. If your app is at an early stage, it’s better to go with a low-cost or free-to-start option.

• Supported Payment Methods: Pick a gateway that supports how your users want to pay mobile money, card payments, bank transfer, or wallets. It’s different for each region.

• Scalability and Extra Features: Think ahead. If your app will need recurring payments, multi-currency support, or custom payment links in future, better to choose a platform that already offers these features.

• Platform Compatibility: Not all gateways work smoothly with every tech stack. If your app is built on Flutter or native Android/iOS, make sure the payment solution is made to support that without much extra work.

• Customer Support and Uptime: At some point, things may go wrong. A gateway with a helpful support team and good track record for uptime will save you lots of frustration later.

Which Payment Gateway Is Best for Your Type of Mobile App?

  - App Type / Use Case

  - Recommended Gateways

  - Why








  - E-commerce Apps

  - Flutterwave, Paystack, DPO Group

  - Supports a wide range of payment methods, offers mobile SDKs, and provides smooth checkout experience.



 

  - Subscription / SaaS Apps

  - Paystack, Interswitch

  - Supports recurring billing, offers clean APIs and reliable developer tools for managing subscriptions.





  - Peer-to-Peer / Fintech Apps

  - Onafriq (MFS Africa), Skrill

  - Best for mobile wallets and cross-border payments. Offers tools suited for P2P transactions and digital transfers.



 

  - Startups / Budget Projects

  - VoguePay, Interswitch

  - Low setup costs, quick onboarding, and suitable for MVPs or early-stage apps without heavy technical demands.

Conclusion

Picking the right payment gateway can really affect how your mobile app works overall. Every platform has its own good sides, so what’s best really depends on what your app is trying to do and where your users actually are. These days, Africa has quite a few strong options from mobile money to international payments. Just take a bit of time to check the features, fees, and how good the support is. And if you’re still making your business app, it’s a good idea to think about how payments will work right from the start.

At the end, the right choice is what works for you, not just what everyone else is using.