African Payments — Mobile Money
African Payments
Accept Mobile Money payments in Africa: receive from customers via MTN, Orange, Orangemoney.
Why Mobile Money?
In Africa, Mobile Money is dominant payment method (70% transactions). No bank card needed, just phone.
- Accessibility: 2+ billion active accounts
- Speed: Instant (2 seconds)
- Security: 4-digit PIN authentication
- Fees: 1-3% commission (cheaper than Stripe)
- Coverage: MTN, Orange, Airtel, Vodafone in all countries
Main Africa providers
MTN Mobile Money
Coverage: 20 African countries. Fee: 2%. Most used.
Orange Money
Coverage: 17 countries. Fee: 1.5%. Fast.
Airtel Money
Coverage: 14 countries. Fee: 2%. Alternative.
Vodafone Cash
Coverage: 8 countries. Fee: 1.5%.
Payment aggregators
Aggregators connect all operators in one integration:
- GMO-Afrimedia: Best for Cameroon. All operators. Simple API.
- Flutterwave: Pan-African. 34 countries. 24/7 support.
- Paystack: Best Nigeria/Ghana. Growing Africa.
- Pesapal: East Africa. Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania.
- Chipper Cash: Peer-to-peer payments Africa.
GMO-Afrimedia setup — Cameroon
Detailed example for Cameroon (MTN/Orange):
- Create account at GMO-Afrimedia.com
- Access dashboard
- Complete business info:
- Store name
- Registration number
- Bank account number (for transfers)
- Create API keys (Public/Secret)
- Test with sandbox environment (test mode)
- Request live activation
WooCommerce Mobile Money integration
Plugin installation steps:
- WordPress Plugins > Add New
- Search "GMO Afrimedia for WooCommerce" (official)
- Install & Activate
- Go WooCommerce > Settings > Payments
- Enable GMO Afrimedia
- Paste API keys (Public/Secret)
- Set Test mode first
- Test transaction (pay test order)
- If OK, switch to Live mode
Customer payment flow
Customer experience step by step:
- Customer adds product to cart
- Checkout = fill address + email
- Payment choice: shows "Mobile Money" (if GMO active)
- Customer clicks Mobile Money
- Popup window: "Enter phone number (237671234567)"
- System sends USSD prompt: "*150#"
- Customer confirms from phone (enter PIN)
- Payment approved = redirect to confirmation
- Confirmation email received
Comparison table — African payment gateways
| Gateway | Fee | Coverage | Payout | Support |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GMO-Afrimedia | 2-3% | Cameroon | D+1 | Excellent local |
| Flutterwave | 1.4%+fee | 34 countries | D+1 | 24/7 |
| Paystack | 1.5%+fee | Nigeria/Ghana | D+1 | Good |
| Pesapal | 3%+fee | East Africa | D+1 | Basic |
GMO for Cameroon (local, fast). Flutterwave for multi-country. Paystack Nigeria best.
Security & compliance
Standards
- ✓ PCI-DSS (secure payments)
- ✓ HTTPS mandatory
- ✓ AES 256 encryption
- ✓ Card tokenization
Local compliance
- ✓ GDPR/local privacy
- ✓ Operator licenses
- ✓ KYC/AML compliance
- ✓ Regulatory reports
FAQ — 10 questions
MTN Mobile Money dominant (70% market). Orange Money 2nd. Integrate all via GMO-Afrimedia single API.
Mobile Money: 2-3%. Stripe/PayPal: 3.4%+fee. Mobile Money cheaper + accessible.
Instant. Customer confirms USSD = 2-5 seconds approved. SMS confirmation received.
Set by operators: MTN €500/day, Orange €300/day. Vary by country. Configurable via GMO.
Not immediate. Account transfer: D+1 for GMO-Afrimedia. Faster than cards (D+3).
Yes. Via GMO dashboard or API. Auto reversal of payments. SMS confirmation to customer.
Yes. Webhook URLs receive JSON confirmation. Slack/Discord alerts possible.
WooCommerce official plugin. Others: Shopify app exists. Custom dev for specific platforms.
GMO PCI-DSS level 1. GDPR compliant. Customer data encrypted. Annual audit required.
Simple for WooCommerce (click-click). Direct API if custom: 2-3h setup for dev.
Activate Mobile Money store
Receive customer payments Africa via MTN, Orange, Orangemoney. Reduced fees, instant approval.
GMO-Afrimedia Integration help