West Africa is cementing its position as a central player in the global technology landscape. Through two major developments in financial technology and global policy, the region is demonstrating both its commercial viability and its growing influence on the future of international tech governance.
In a major development for cross-border commerce, Africa’s leading payments technology company, Flutterwave, has announced a strategic collaboration with Xoom, the international digital money transfer service owned by PayPal. The partnership is designed to facilitate fast, secure, and direct digital transfers into Nigeria, which remains the leading remittance recipient in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Historically, receiving international payments in Nigeria has been bottlenecked by complex foreign exchange constraints and persistent settlement delays. By connecting Xoom’s expansive global network with Flutterwave’s established local payout infrastructure, the two companies are attempting to streamline this pipeline. Under the new agreement, international transfers initiated via Xoom will be converted by Flutterwave and settled locally in Nigerian Naira (NGN), arriving directly in recipient accounts at major domestic institutions, including Access Bank, United Bank for Africa (UBA), Zenith Bank, First Bank of Nigeria, and Guaranty Trust Bank.
This collaboration carries significant economic weight for a nation of over 232 million people, where personal remittances exceeded $20 billion in 2024. Pointing to the critical nature of these inflows, Olugbenga “GB” Agboola, Founder and CEO of Flutterwave, remarked:
“We’re excited to have been chosen by Xoom for their Nigeria expansion. Millions of Nigerians rely on money from abroad to support everyday needs, whether it’s families receiving help from loved ones, freelancers getting paid for their work, or individuals earning income from the global economy. This helps make it easy and more reliable for people in Nigeria to receive funds and stay connected to opportunities beyond borders.”
Appointed to the ITU’s Global AI Commission
Simultaneously, Nigeria’s influence is expanding from commercial infrastructure into high-level global policy. Dr. ’Bosun Tijani. Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, has been officially inaugurated as a founding member of the newly established AI for Good Global Commission.
Convened by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU)—the United Nations specialized agency for information and communication technologies the commission is co chaired by Rwandan President Paul Kagame and Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff. It brings together a select group of roughly 40 heads of state, ministers, technology pioneers, and academics tasked with designing globally coordinated, trusted, and inclusive frameworks for artificial intelligence.
Dr. Tijani’s appointment follows Nigeria’s aggressive domestic push to establish itself as an AI hub, highlighted by the launch of its National AI Strategy and Africa’s first government backed multilingual Large Language Model, N-ATLAS. Commenting on the launch of the commission and his role in representing African perspectives on the global stage, Dr. ’Bosun Tijani stated:
“It is a privilege to join the AI for Good Global Commission at such a defining moment for the future of Artificial Intelligence. As AI reshapes economies and societies, we must ensure that its benefits are accessible to all countries and all people. Nigeria is committed to working with global partners to build AI ecosystems that are trusted, inclusive, and capable of driving innovation, creating opportunities for our young people, and accelerating sustainable development globally.”
Together, these parallel strides in localized financial rails and international policy representation highlight a broader trend: African nations are no longer just consuming global tech solutions, but actively participating in building and governing them.
