COMESA launches digital payment platform to boost regional trade – Lee Kinyanjui
By Faith Lagat, October 9, 2025The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) has launched the Digital Retail Payment Platform (DRPP), a major initiative aimed at transforming cross-border trade in the region.
The announcement was made during the 24th COMESA Summit of Heads of State and Government at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) on October 9, 2025.
Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Investments, Trade, and Industry, Lee Kinyanjui, highlighted the platform’s importance in a post on X on October 9, 2025, describing it as an “instant, inclusive, and affordable cross-border payment system” that keeps transaction costs below 3 percent.
The DRPP allows trade settlements across COMESA’s 21 member states directly in local currencies, reducing reliance on foreign exchange, mitigating volatility risks, and lowering operational costs for businesses.
Enhancing financial inclusion
Kinyanjui emphasized that the platform promotes inclusivity by enabling small and medium enterprises (SMEs), women, and youth to participate fully in regional trade.
The DRPP integrates banks, mobile money services, and fintech operators under central bank supervision, ensuring safety, trust, and interoperability. The system also facilitates faster transactions and strengthens financial inclusion, aligning with broader goals of regional integration and sustainable development.
This initiative is expected to streamline cross-border trade, enhance efficiency, and expand economic opportunities for businesses across the region.
Kenya assumes COMESA chairmanship
The DRPP launch coincided with President William Ruto’s official assumption of the COMESA chairmanship from Burundi’s President Evariste Ndayishimiye. Ruto, in an X post, expressed gratitude and pledged to build on his predecessor’s achievements, highlighting Nairobi as a hub for innovation, trade, and diplomacy.
Speaking at the summit, Ruto focused on the theme, “Leveraging Digitalisation to Deepen Regional Value Chains for Sustainable and Inclusive Growth,” and stressed the role of digital tools in optimizing resources, improving energy efficiency, and fostering circular economies.
He urged member states to invest in digital infrastructure, data governance, and human capacity building to empower citizens in the digital economy. Ruto also called on states to scale up intra-COMESA trade, strengthen industrial linkages, and enhance resilience against external shocks to achieve sustainable growth, job creation, and improved living standards across the region.