from PHYLLIS BIRORI in Kigali, Rwanda
Rwanda Bureau
KIGALI, (CAJ News) – RWANDA has launched the second phase of its National Digital Payment System (RNDPS) as part of the government’s vision to boost electronic payment transactions.
The unveiling has been one of the highlights of the three-day Inclusive Fintech Forum (IFF2025) the East African country is hosting until Wednesday (today).
Paula Ingabire, the Minister of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and Innovation, has on the eve of the conclusion unveiled the system, alongside executives from the Central Bank of Ghana and partners, AfricaNenda Gates Foundation, Mojaloop Foundation and RSwitch.
RNDPS is an inclusive payments scheme that provides one endpoint connecting users to all marketplaces. The system enables users to perform transactions and transfers across multiple financial service providers’ platforms.
Ingabire said RNDPS2 would build on earlier successes in peer-to-peer (P2P) interoperability, such as with mobile network Operators mobile wallets.
RNDPS is introducing person-to-merchant transactions and officials said it would soon add bulk and bill payments as well as government services use cases.
“A cornerstone of our strategy has been the adoption of open-source technology,” she said.
“By leveraging these flexible, robust, and cost-effective solutions we have been able to build scalable systems that are both robust and secure.”
The minister added, “Together with our partners, the financial institutions, and every Rwandan, we are not merely adapting to change. We are driving it.”
The launch implementation aligns with the RNDPS blueprint adopted by the financial industry in 2018. The first use case was launched in 2022.
It facilitated person-to-person transfers between the two mobile operators Airtel and MTN. Financial institutions subsequently joined the platform.
– CAJ News