Payaza's Shopaza Targets Africa's E-Commerce Gap
The company's latest move reflects a broader shift across African fintech, where payment providers are increasingly building commerce infrastructure aimed at helping businesses grow beyond their local markets.
Payaza has launched Shopaza, a new artificial intelligence-driven e-commerce platform designed to help businesses expand beyond local markets and participate more effectively in global trade.
The platform which is now available in 23 countries and is designed to tackle key barriers that have historically limited the growth of African merchants in the international e-commerce space. By combining AI-powered tools with integrated payment services, Shopaza seeks to provide businesses with a seamless way to sell products, manage transactions, and reach customers across borders.
Built on Payaza’s payment infrastructure, the platform offers features such as verified merchant onboarding, secure payment processing, buyer protection mechanisms, and instant transaction confirmations. These capabilities are intended to enhance trust between merchants and customers while simplifying the online shopping experience.
The Fintech and commercial banking expert Seyi Ebenezer, said the launch comes at a time when Africa remains significantly underrepresented in global e-commerce. Despite the worldwide e-commerce market being valued at approximately $3.88 trillion, the continent contributes only a small fraction of that figure. He reiterated that many Nigerian micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) continue to rely heavily on social media channels such as WhatsApp and Instagram for sales, often handling orders, invoicing, and customer interactions manually.
Shopaza is expected to provide these businesses with a more structured digital commerce environment, enabling them to streamline operations and improve scalability. The platform’s AI capabilities are designed to help merchants manage online sales more efficiently while reducing the challenges associated with cross-border transactions.
Highlighting the platform’s objectives, Ebenezer noted that Shopaza is intended to provide lasting value for business owners by enabling them to expand beyond their local markets and tap into wider commercial opportunities worldwide.
The launch forms part of Payaza’s broader strategy to strengthen digital payments and e-commerce infrastructure across Africa.
Through initiatives such as Shopaza, the company aims to equip merchants with the tools needed to compete in an increasingly interconnected global marketplace while accelerating the growth of digital commerce across the continent.
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