Senegal’s government has signed its first partnership with Visa, a two-year agreement that puts payments between citizens and public services on the table.
Visa and Senegal’s Ministry of Telecommunications and Digital Affairs announced the memorandum of understanding (MoU) on 30 October 2026 from Dakar, Senegal, in a statement distributed by APO Group. Visa said it is the first such partnership between the company and a government institution in Senegal.
What the agreement covers
The MoU sets a framework for cooperation on digital payments, financial innovation, cybersecurity and regulatory matters. Both sides will also explore use cases that could modernise public services and widen access to digital financial services.
Two payment flows are named: person-to-government (P2G), meaning citizens paying public bodies, and government-to-person (G2P), meaning the state paying individuals. Visa said knowledge sharing on cybersecurity and financial innovation will sit alongside that work.
Intent, not yet deployment
The statement speaks of exploring and identifying opportunities. It names no pilot, launch date, funding or product, and it does not say which payment methods or institutions would be involved.
Samba Diouf, Minister of Telecommunications and Digital Affairs, framed the MoU as a push towards delivery.
“This strategic partnership with Visa marks a decisive step forward in our efforts to accelerate the New Deal Technologique,” Diouf said. “Now is the time for action: we must be fully operational and move from intent to tangible results by deploying practical, secure and inclusive solutions that directly address the everyday needs of Senegalese citizens.”
Aminata Kane, Senior Vice President and Group Country Manager for Visa Western and Central Africa, said the company aims to “identify tangible opportunities to facilitate access to digital services and support the long-term development of the payments ecosystem in Senegal”.
Where it fits
Visa already features in African fintech products, such as the Visa card Mukuru issued for its Botswana wallet in August 2026. A government agreement is a different kind of relationship, because it ties the company to public-sector payment design rather than to a single product.
Other African governments are also working on shared digital public services, among them a pilot linking national ID systems in Benin, Ghana and Rwanda. The Senegal MoU is a two-year window. What it delivers will depend on which use cases the ministry and Visa choose to take forward, and the statement gives no date for announcing them.
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