The African Union, African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) and AfCFTA have inaugurated the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS), thereby making it available for use by the public.
PAPSS is a cross-border, financial market infrastructure
enabling payment transactions across Africa.
The commercial launch of PAPSS, which took place in Accra,
Ghana, virtually and physically, would ensures instant or near-instant
transfers of funds between originators in one African country and beneficiaries
in another.
Afreximbank chief at the launch of Pan-African Payment and
Settlement System (PAPSS)
Speaking at the event, Mr Mike Ogbalu, CEO of PAPSS, said
that the feat was a step forward in the continent’s collective journey towards
self-reliance.
“A journey that is leading us to the prosperous Africa of
our dreams as espoused in the African Union’s Agenda 2063: the Africa We Want.
“Our progress on this journey has as its guiding lights a
clear shared vision and unity of purpose. But this, like every journey also
requires critical infrastructure to accelerate the fundamental elements that
will underpin a prosperous continent.
“A prosperous continent is a trading continent; a continent
that builds and retains wealth from its goods and services.
“Governments, businesses, and individuals consume goods and
services which they obtain in exchange for value. The fundamental means by
which value is exchanged or traded is through payments.
“The more efficient payment systems are, the higher the
velocity of value exchange and consequently, the higher the volume and value of
trade and our subsequent prosperity.
According to him, at a continental level, establishing an
efficient payment infrastructure will go a long way to eliminate the artificial
borders that have divided the continent and robbed us of our shared prosperity.
On some of the benefits of a Pan-Africa payment and
settlement system, he said that it would be the enabling infrastructure to spur
the growth of intra-African trade and commerce.
This is with the active participation of central banks,
financial institutions, regional economic communities, private sectors, and
other stakeholders.
“Payment infrastructure has existed at both national and
sub-regional levels for a while.
“These systems, however, lack interoperability, fragmented
national and regional payment systems cannot stimulate pan-African economic
development and intra-African trade at the pace required to significantly
increase the percentage of trade amongst African countries.
“These national and regional payment systems have made a
good start, bringing about significant modernisation within their
jurisdictions.
“It is paramount that we now integrate all of Africa
financially to hasten the pace of economic growth in the continent,’’ Ogbalu
said.
Also, Mr Wamkele Mene, Secretary General, AfCFTA
Secretariat, affirmed that the pioneering effort at achieving a pan African
payments and settlements system would enable Africa to reduce reliance on third
currencies.
According to him, it also has the potential to significantly
boost intra-Africa trade.
NAN also reports that the PAPSS project started in 2016 with
various engagements to understand the existing regional payment systems, their
pros and cons and how best to approach the establishment of an Africa-wide
payments infrastructure.
Engagements took place with Regional Economic Communities
including COMESA, East African Community, and SADC, as well as with all major
payment systems operators in Africa.
Furthermore, discussions with the West African Monetary Zone
(WAMZ) commenced in 2017 and following successful interactions with them, the
Central Bank Governors of the Zone agreed to implement a pilot scheme of the
system as a proof of concept.
Systems development commenced as well as development of the
regulatory framework including the PAPSS Bye Law, Scheme Rules and Membership
Agreements and other establishment structures required for instituting the
System.
In 2019, at its 12th Extra Ordinary Summit held in Niamey,
Niger on July 7, 2019, the Assembly of the African Union (AU) launched PAPSS
and adopted it as a key instrument for the implementation of the African
Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).
This was a great milestone as PAPSS was endorsed as the
required payment system in Africa.
Following this mandate by the African Union, the partners
embarked on further system development, and instituted a strong governance
structure.
The PAPSS pilot in WAMZ central banks has been completed and
all six Central Banks have tested and gone through the trial operations.
In the last week of August 2021, all the Central Banks
became live on the system and have since been sending through live transactions
across the WAMZ region.
Engagements with other Central Banks in Africa have
commenced in earnest and there is focus on regional payment systems to ensure
bulk/group connection.
With every bank on boarded to PAPSS, thousands of their
clients would be enabled to trade within Africa.