Bank of Ghana (BoG) Governor Johnson Asiama called on African nations Wednesday to champion homegrown digital advancement and harness emerging technologies to generate economic value and accelerate growth across the continent.
Asiama made the remarks at the 2026 3i Africa Summit on fintech and digital technology investments, a three-day gathering themed “The Next Frontier: Shaping Africa’s Integrated FinTech Future,” which is drawing technology and financial market regulators from across Africa.
With at least 49 percent of adults in sub-Saharan Africa now holding access to digital financial services, Asiama said the continent has built sufficient momentum for technology-led growth. That progress, he noted, now demands translation into measurable improvements in the lives of ordinary Africans.
Mobile money and branchless banking have historically driven that expansion, bringing financial services to underserved communities. Asiama said those gains are now being reinforced by digital credit, digital trade, and evolving financing models for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
“The opportunity now lies in building the next layer of value,” he said.
The governor argued that payments infrastructure is increasingly in place across African markets and that the next phase of digital finance must go further. He identified digital credit, merchant payments, embedded finance, supply-chain finance, and cross-border services as the financial products African markets need most, particularly those designed to serve women, young people, MSMEs, and the informal sector.
Asiama pressed regulators to ground their actions in Africa’s own clearly defined priorities and strengthen coordination in implementation, warning that the continent’s digital transformation must not only grow but also mature. He also stressed the importance of regulatory frameworks that protect consumers, preserve the integrity of financial systems, and maintain overall stability.
The summit focuses on promoting digital finance through infrastructure development, cross-border payment interoperability, and innovation-driven economic inclusion.
