American Express and leading pan-African financial services group, Ecobank Group, have announced an agreement to expand American Express Card acceptance across 21 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.
This landmark agreement will enable American Express Card Members to use their cards in twelve new countries, namely Burundi, Central African Republic, Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Niger, São Tomé and Príncipe, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, and Togo.
Additionally, the number of merchants accepting American Express Card payments will increase in nine countries where American Express is already accepted, namely Cape Verde, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Nigeria, the Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda. The rollout of acceptance in these countries is expected to occur over the next 12 months. Ecobank will also provide ATM acceptance for American Express in all African countries where they operate, except for Cape Verde.
The announcement, made during the African Development Bank Group Annual Meetings 2024, underscores the commitment to strengthen the American Express global network by expanding the number of locations where Card Members can use their cards in Sub-Saharan Africa. This expansion will also provide merchants access to a broader customer base of American Express consumer, business, and corporate Card Members, both in Africa and worldwide.
CEO of Ecobank Group, Jeremy Awori, said, “We are delighted to welcome American Express to our network, reinforcing our commitment to offering innovative payments solutions for customers across Africa.” He continued, “This agreement will benefit American Express Card Members, providing them with greater choice and will help merchants to grow their businesses. It also highlights the scalability of Ecobank’s unrivalled borderless banking ecosystem and network across Africa.”
President of Global Network Services at American Express, Mohammed Badi, noted, “This agreement with Ecobank is a major milestone for American Express acceptance across Africa as it will expand our presence in Sub-Saharan Africa to 42 countries from 30 at present. With Ecobank’s support, we look forward to providing merchants in these countries access to higher-spending American Express Card Members both in Africa and from around the world.”
ALSO READ: EMPOWERING WOMEN IN TECH: CELEBRATING LEADERS AND INNOVATORS!
This collaboration aligns with Ecobank’s Growth, Transformation and Returns strategic agenda. Ecobank is dedicated to offering its retail customers innovative and easy-to-use financial solutions through its unified banking platform across Africa.
Source: Ecobank Transnational Incorporated
By Derrick Kafui Deti – Digital Economy Magazine
