MONROVIA – For years, Liberia’s payment networks largely worked in separate lanes. The Central Bank of Liberia (CBL) says that is changing. Executive Governor Henry F. Saamoi took the country’s case to the MojaCom 32 forum in Accra, Ghana. His central argument is that access is no longer the main barrier to financial inclusion. Connectivity is. Since December 2025, the Inclusive Instant Payment System has processed more than 5.3 million interoperable transactions. Customers of Lonestar MTN and Orange can now move money between the two networks in real time. Liberia now offers its experience as a lesson for Africa. As THE ANALYST reports, the next test is whether that progress reaches rural households and small traders.
The Executive Governor of the Central Bank of Liberia (CBL), Henry F. Saamoi, has presented Liberia’s progress in digital payments and financial inclusion at MojaCom 32 in Accra, Ghana, a gathering the bank described as one of Africa’s premier forums on interoperable and inclusive payment systems.
Saamoi delivered a keynote address on the theme “Accelerating Financial Inclusion Through Instant and Interoperable Payments: Liberia’s Journey and Lessons for Africa,” according to a CBL press release issued in Accra on September 29, 2026.
Saamoi highlighted Liberia’s ongoing transformation from a fragmented payments landscape to a system driven by real-time, interoperable digital financial services.
Addressing central bank governors, regulators, development partners, financial institutions and technology leaders from across Africa and beyond, he emphasized that while access to financial services has expanded significantly across the continent, the next frontier of financial inclusion is connectivity among financial institutions and payment platforms.
The Connectivity Constraint
“Financial inclusion is no longer primarily constrained by access and affordability. It is increasingly constrained by connectivity,” Saamoi stated. The future of financial inclusion, he noted, will depend on how effectively financial institutions connect and enable the seamless movement of funds across networks.
Systems Delivering Measurable Results
The CBL Executive Governor highlighted what he called two landmark achievements under Liberia’s payment system modernization agenda: the launch of the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) and the deployment of the Inclusive Instant Payment System (IIPS). The IIPS facilitates real-time interoperability between Liberia’s leading mobile money providers, Lonestar MTN Mobile Money and Orange Money Liberia.
Saamoi disclosed that Liberia’s digital payments ecosystem has already begun delivering measurable results. In 2025, he said, mobile money transactions in Liberia reached approximately L$585.88 billion and US$6.92 billion in value, while the country’s systemically important payment systems processed approximately 230,367 transactions valued at US$8.5 billion.
Since its launch in December 2025, according to Saamoi, the IIPS has processed more than 5.3 million interoperable transactions. These include approximately 4.2 million Liberian dollar transactions valued at over L$4.1 billion and 1.1 million United States dollar transactions valued at US$22.2 million, he disclosed.
These achievements, Saamoi argued, demonstrate growing public confidence in digital financial services and underscore the importance of interoperable payment infrastructure in advancing financial inclusion, economic efficiency and private-sector growth. Sharing lessons from Liberia’s experience, he emphasized that successful payment system transformation requires strong leadership, collaboration among stakeholders and recognition of interoperable payment systems as critical national infrastructure.
Call for Continental Connectivity
Looking beyond Liberia, Saamoi called for greater collaboration among African central banks to strengthen regional payment connectivity and support the goals of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Africa’s economic integration, he stressed, will depend not only on the movement of goods and services across borders but also on the ability to move money quickly, securely and affordably across the continent.
Saamoi concluded by reaffirming Liberia’s commitment to building a modern, inclusive and interconnected financial system while contributing to Africa’s broader digital transformation agenda. “Africa does not need to wait for the future of payments. Africa can build it. The future of African financial inclusion will not be determined by the number of institutions we create. It will be determined by how effectively those institutions connect,” he said.
MojaCom 32 brought together central banks, regulators, financial institutions, development partners and technology providers from around the world. Participants discussed emerging trends and innovations in digital payments, interoperability and financial inclusion.