COMESA and Zamtel Launch Digital Payment Platform to Boost Regional Trade
The initiative marks a major milestone in promoting digital financial integration across COMESA’s 21 member states and is being described as a game changer for regional commerce.
The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) , in partnership with Zamtel, has launched the Digital Retail Payment Platform (DRPP), a groundbreaking system designed to transform regional trade through seamless, instant, and affordable cross-border payments. The initiative marks a major milestone in promoting digital financial integration across COMESA’s 21 member states and is being described as a game changer for regional commerce.
The DRPP enables individuals and businesses to make secure payments in local currencies, starting with a pilot corridor between Zambia and Malawi. This innovation is expected to reduce dependence on foreign currencies, cut transaction costs, and simplify payment processes for traders operating across borders. The platform is particularly aimed at supporting micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), which make up nearly 80 percent of businesses and provide around 60 percent of employment in the region. It also focuses on empowering women and youth by reducing financial barriers and exposure to exchange rate volatility.
According to Zambia’s Ministry of Technology and Science, the DRPP was developed to simplify the payment system within the COMESA region by making transactions faster, easier, and less costly. Despite challenges such as low ICT connectivity in some areas, officials emphasized that the time to implement digital transformation is now, highlighting the platform’s potential to stimulate regional economic growth.
Zamtel, the Zambian mobile network operator piloting the system, has played a central role in the project. The company emphasized the importance of regulatory harmonization among member states, pointing out that differing tax regimes, foreign exchange controls, and compliance requirements could affect the platform’s success. The DRPP’s design allows users to send money instantly across borders in their local currency, with automatic conversion to the recipient’s currency. This represents a significant advancement for mobile network operators, which previously operated within national boundaries.
The launch of the DRPP took place alongside the conclusion of the 24th COMESA Heads of State and Government Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, where Zambia was represented by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Honorable Mulambo Haimbe. The initiative also underscores Zamtel’s successful turnaround from a technically insolvent state-owned company to a profitable and strategically aligned operator supporting President Hakainde Hichilema’s digital transformation vision for Zambia.
The DRPP represents a major step toward digital financial integration in the region. However, its long-term success will depend on several factors, including the harmonization of regulatory and tax frameworks across member states, stronger ICT infrastructure, sustained political will, and continued innovation from both public and private sector partners. As COMESA transitions from technological deployment to policy integration, the platform stands as a symbol of progress toward a more connected, competitive, and inclusive digital economy in Eastern and Southern Africa.
