Western Union partners with MFS Africa to enable money transfers into millions of mobile wallets across Africa

Africa’s largest payment gateway, MFS Africa, has partnered with Western Union to enable individuals and businesses across the continent to receive money from over 200 countries and territories.

The partnership will enable funds to be sent from countries around the world to mobile wallets across Africa through the organization’s licensed payment rails. The service will rst launch in Madagascar, and eventually to other countries across the continent.

Kumar Shourav, Managing Director, MTO’s at MFS Africa noted that a partnership like this is unprecedented in the industry, with huge potential bene ts, value, and impact implications in the long run. “At MFS Africa, we have always believed in making payments as simple as possible. Payment infrastructures globally have traditionally remained fragmented and local in nature. Africa’s 54 countries are diverse not just in terms of population, development levels, growth rates, and stability but with payment infrastructure and regulations as well.

Africa's fast-growing populations and markets present important opportunities for businesses and individuals in an environment of slowing global growth. MFS Africa has more than a decade worth of experience in navigating the chal- lenging Africa payments landscape. Its direct relationship with mobile wallet players, banks, cash pick up networks and regulators on the continent is unmatched in the industry.

Western Union is a global leader in cross-border, cross-currency money movement and payments. Through this partnership, both organisations will provide customers, businesses and Global Development Organisations across the world with access to convenient payout options in Africa. This will foster better integration between Africa and the rest of the world and will go a long way in supporting nancial inclusion across the continent. Therefore, this partnership made complete sense.”

Similarly, Western Union's ethos is based on empowering the aspiring populations of the world with accessible nancial tools to improve the lives of their loved ones and communities.

Hassan Chatila, Global Head of Account Payout Network, Western Union, says, “At Western Union, we aim to be the global leader in providing accessible nancial services to the world’s populations and, in turn, increase global nancial inclusion. Our e orts to drive global nancial inclusion means delivering on customer needs today and into the future. Through our partner- ship with MFS Africa, we are excited to come together and deliver on our joint commitment to bring innovative solutions for customers as they support their families and accelerate their momentum up the economic ladder.”

Mohamed Touhami El Ouazzani, Regional Vice President of Africa, Western Union, "Innovation, commitment to customer focus and nancial inclusion are at the heart of everything we do at Western Union. We are deeply committed to the region and remain focused on advancing cross-border money movement solutions for the people in this region, their communities as well as the broader economy. Through our collaboration with MFS Africa, we look forward to achieving our common critical role in getting money to the places where and when it is most needed.” This collaboration to provide access to transacting across borders will further cement MFS Africa as a preferred, better, and one-stop solution for payments into and within Africa. Whether you’re a young entrepreneur in the merchant marketplace, require access to collect loan repayments from customers or need to send bulk payments, MFS Africa strives to continuously connect senders, recipients, and service providers across the continent.

The organization’s full-service digital payments network connects over 400 million mobile money wallets, over 200 million bank accounts across Africa, and over 200,000 agents in Nigeria, to enable cross-platform and cross-border payments for remittance companies, mobile network operators, banks, non-bank nancial institutions and global merchants.

Stakeholders within the fruit and vegetables value chain from all over the world will converge at the Rimini Event Centre, Italy for this year’s edition of the Annual MacFrut Exhibition scheduled for May 3-5, 2023.

Macfrut is the international trade fair for the fruit and vegetable industry, a B2B event for sector professionals and opinion leaders from more than 90 countries. It is a benchmark event that brings together major industry players, innovations and market trends, o ering a unique business platform that allows participants to expand their network of business contacts and enter new markets.

This year’s event will have over 1000 exhibitors, comprising 20% foreigners, these exhibitors will showcase goods and services from di erent sectors including: production and marketing of fruit and vegetable products, sorting and packaging machinery and technology, packaging materials, logistics and services, machinery and systems for fruit and vegetable growing, plant nurseries and seeds and biosolutions.

Participants and exhibitors will get to share and transfer knowledge, make business partners, and to buy or sell agricultural equipment whilst tapping Italy’s expertise as the world leader in agricultural production and the manufacturing.

Additionally, there will also be technical visits to company sites for a learning experience in terms of know-how and cutting-edge machinery and technology with extensive media awareness.

The Italian Trade Agency in Ghana in collaboration with the

Federation of Association of Ghanaian Exporters (FAGE), wishes to extend an invitation to government representatives and policy makers, and to agribusiness professionals within the fruits and vegetables value chain to join this event.

Ghanaian exporters within the fruit and vegetables ecosystem interested in participating can complete online forms via https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1wDEBnGNUjxbLQQ3MN8gW4KIjtlejTh-FoqUCUIx3Yo0/edit.