GSMA joins AFI as an Africa Regional PPD Partner

Mobile money has experienced staggering growth over the past two decades, reaching more people than ever before. With 1.6 billion registered accounts, AFI members worldwide have recognized the benefits of this affordable and widely accessible service, and they are prioritizing mobile money as a way to drive financial inclusion. At the 2023 Global Policy Forum, AFI was delighted to welcome the GSMA, which represents over 1,000 mobile operators and businesses, as an African regional partner to AFI’s Public-Private Dialogue (PPD) platform.

Over the last decade, policy and regulatory changes, many of them driven by the AFI network and the work of the GSMA Mobile Money Programme, have contributed to rapid growth of the mobile money industry – from the number of users and agents to the number of services and products. By driving this enabling environment, millions more customers have access to life changing services, including savings, credit and insurance products, at their fingertips.

“Mobile money has demonstrated its potential to accelerate financial inclusion in Africa,” said Ivan Ssettimba, Head of AFI’s African Regional Office. “GSMA’s unique insight and expertise will be of great help in enabling African regulators and policymakers to embed mobile money into national financial inclusion strategies and projects.”

“A robust and enabling regulatory environment is critical to ensuring that mobile money remains affordable, accessible and safe for everyone,” said Ashley Olson Onyango, Head of Financial Inclusion and AgriTech, GSMA. “Participating in AFI’s Public-Private Dialogue allows private sector and policy decision makers to come together to elevate and discuss issues, share data and evidence, and highlight best practices to achieve shared objectives on financial inclusion.”

Learn more about AFI’s PPD platform, and access GSMA’s State of the Industry Report on Mobile Money 2023.