Gabon’s cabinet approved a bill on October 8 to update the country’s digital payments framework as efforts to strengthen its digital public infrastructure (DPI) advance.
A news release issued after the meeting chaired by President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema said the proposed amendments aim to increase financial inclusion and business competitiveness, regulate providers of payment solutions operating in Gabon, and ensure interoperability with regional and international payment systems.
Submitted to the government by the Ministry of Digital Economy, Digitalization and Innovation, the draft text ratifies and amends an ordinance issued on February 26 that lays down the rules applicable to digital payments in Gabon.
Officials say the eventual operationalization of the updated framework will also enable the country to organize a gradual transition to dematerialized payments in the public and private sectors, reducing reliance on cash.
The release added that, in view of the surge in electronic transactions and the rapid evolution of payment methods, the draft text “provides that the State shall implement, in collaboration with payment institutions, communication, promotion, and financial education programs” that must encourage the use of digital payments by merchants, businesses and citizens.
The payments overhaul forms part of Gabon’s wider DPI buildout, which also includes its national biometric ID and planned digital identity services. The country has also been advancing its national biometric ID system and is looking to activate its digital ID, which it believes will streamline access to services in the public and private sectors. Recently, Digital Economy Minister Mark Alexandre Doumba said there was progress on digital ID and national interoperability infrastructure building efforts.
In digital payments, the country already has substantial mobile money use and digital connectivity, but broad acceptance of interoperable digital payments is still being built. Alongside these efforts to update the legal framework to align with regional regulations and the regional interoperability vision of the Bank of Central African States (BEAC), Gabon had already acted as a test ground for GIMACPAY’s interoperable QR-code payment system, which is being piloted in the country through the national program MADIGIPAIE.
The proposed legal update is intended to support and strengthen these ongoing efforts to align the country’s national payment infrastructure with the region’s interoperability agenda. Officials hope to expand the use of QR codes for merchant and service payments. As of July, authorities said the program covered more than 3,273 merchants, with 1,382 GIMAC QR codes deployed.
MADIGIPAIE began with QR-code deployment and merchant outreach and expanded to TaxiGab drivers in February. The program is intended to reduce reliance on cash while allowing customers to pay across participating financial institutions.
Article Topics
digital payments | digital public infrastructure | financial inclusion | Gabon | interoperability | QR code
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