Smart Africa and KaiOS Partner to Bring Digital Payment Devices to Africa’s Informal Sector

Smart Africa, in collaboration with KaiOS Technologies, has announced a groundbreaking partnership aimed at bringing affordable digital payment acceptance devices to Africa’s informal economy. This initiative seeks to increase digital and financial inclusion across Smart Africa’s member states by equipping underserved communities with accessible digital tools, supporting its mission to drive digital transformation across the continent. By leveraging this partnership, Smart Africa and KaiOS aim to bridge the digital divide, enabling informal merchants to accept digital payments and participate in Africa’s growing cashless economy.

The KaiOS Digital Payment Acceptance Device, built on a smart feature phone form factor that is already in use by millions of consumers globally, offers a breakthrough solution to the challenges faced by underserved merchants. The merchant solution blends traditional (e.g. card) and alternative payment methods (e.g. mobile money) payment acceptance onto a single device. Moreover, by incorporating NFC-enabled technology, these devices facilitate specific use cases like bus or taxi fare payments, opening the door to a unified and cashless public transportation system. This digitization of transportation enables a digital payment system that not only increases convenience but also reduces the risks associated with cash transactions.

One of the standout features of this solution is KaiOS’s innovative device-locking technology, which supports a flexible financing model. This allows merchants to acquire the device with a small initial deposit—priced even lower than a basic feature phone—followed by manageable weekly or monthly repayments. This approach makes digital payment capabilities far more accessible, enabling merchants to adopt the technology without the financial pressure of an upfront, full payment. This ensures affordability while driving financial inclusion for merchants in Africa’s informal economy.

We are thrilled about this breakthrough in digital inclusion. With the majority of Africa’s population still relying on feature phones due to cost barriers, this solution among others, ensures that merchants in the informal economy are not left behind. It not only provides them with a robust digital payment platform but also allows them to participate in the growing digital economy through a device form factor they are familiar with.

– Lacina Koné, CEO, Smart Africa

This partnership with Smart Africa reinforces our shared commitment to digital and financial inclusion, working together to make affordable digital payment solutions accessible to underserved merchants across Africa’s informal economy. By combining resources and expertise, we aim to deliver lasting impact in digital and financial empowerment, making digital services a reality for millions of businesses who have been previously excluded from the growing digital economy.

– Dale Strydom, Business Development Director, KaiOS