On the sidelines of the 79th United Nations General Assembly in New York, Olugbenga “GB” Agboola, CEO of Flutterwave, highlighted the company’s instrumental role in expanding market access for African businesses.
He expressed this during a high-profile panel session titled “Connecting the Next Billion Customers” at Semafor’s Next 3 Billion Summit in New York.
The summit gathered businesses and government leaders to discuss the role of digital transformation and innovations in harnessing the economic development of emerging markets.
Moderated Marcus Brauchli, Co-founder and Managing Partner of North Base Media, a central point of the discussion, which featured Briana Wilsey, Vice President and General Manager of Global Network Services EMEA, American Express, was how strategic partnerships, particularly Flutterwave’s recent collaboration with American Express, reshape Africa’s position in the global digital marketplace.
The partnership is part of a broader strategy to enhance payment solutions across the continent, making it easier for global enterprises to operate seamlessly in Africa.
The Flutterwave CEO stated,
“If you have an American Express card right now in New York, you can pay a Nigerian merchant on our platform and enjoy a seamless payment experience. And that expands the market size for an average African enterprise.”
“The whole point is we want to make Africa the hub of payment across the world. Not just for Africa alone, but want to also make it easy for any company operating anywhere in the world to bring their business to us in Africa,” Mr. Agboola added.
The collaboration, which has already integrated American Express Cards into Flutterwave’s payment in Nigeria and will soon be live in other African countries, supports the expansion of Amex’s global card footprint and enhances usability across diverse markets.
Briana Wilsey, commented, “American Express card members from all over the world are coming to Africa in more and more numbers. Through business, personal, and leisure travel, and so when they arrive, we want them to be able to use their card, and we want to make sure that local businesses benefit from the spending by international customers.”
Flutterwave’s infrastructure and payment capabilities provide the necessary backbone for global businesses like American Express to connect with African customers.
They also enable African businesses to unlock new opportunities across the continent. This makes Flutterwave a critical enabler for business growth in the region.
