The future of African trade may depend as much on payment infrastructure as it does on roads, ports and logistics networks, according to themes emerging from the 2026 AmCham Business Summit in Nairobi.
Digital payments featured prominently in the summit’s digital-economy agenda, alongside artificial intelligence, cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity, data governance and digital public infrastructure. (AmCham Business Summit 2026)
The summit also featured senior executives from major technology and financial-services companies, including Mastercard.
The significance extends beyond domestic digital payments.
With AfCFTA creating a continental market of approximately 1.4 billion people, businesses increasingly need efficient mechanisms for receiving and making payments across borders.
That creates opportunities for conventional payment networks, fintech companies, mobile-money providers and emerging blockchain-based systems.
For African businesses, the ability to move value quickly and securely between markets could become a critical component of regional competitiveness.
The AmCham programme specifically linked Kenya’s digital transformation with regional competitiveness and examined how technology can position East Africa as a preferred destination for digital investment. (AmCham Business Summit 2026)
The emerging investment picture suggests that the next stage of Africa’s digital economy will not simply be about connecting people to the internet.
It will increasingly be about building the infrastructure through which people and businesses trade, pay, borrow, invest and settle transactions across borders.