How businesses in Ireland can accept payments from Africa

For Irish businesses to stay competitive and serve their African customers effectively, accepting to use payment gateways that understand local payment methods in Africa is very essential for their growth.

Unlike Europe, with which Ireland is a member thus facilitating most of its trade, Africa does not run on Visa and Mastercard as is commonly used in Europe.

Across the continent’s 54 countries, each market has its own dominant local payment method:

• Kenya: M-PESA

• Nigeria: Opay and Bank Transfers

• Uganda: MTN Mobile Money and Airtel Money

• Tanzania: TigoPesa and Vodacom M-Pesa

• Ghana: MTN MoMo

• South Africa: Instant Bank Transfers and Wallets

Using payment partners that connect you to these preferred local methods while settling funds safely into Irish accounts, will have major benefits on Irish businesses:

• Increased sales opportunities as you scale to the major markets in Africa.

• Professional business image that will allow smaller Irish businesses compete effectively with larger businesses especially for e-commerce-based businesses.

• Operational efficiency since automatic payment processing reduces a great deal of manual work.

1. Elemitech

Elemitech is designed for global businesses that want to operate in multiple African countries without dealing with fragmented systems.

It supports Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ghana, Rwanda, South Africa, and more. Customers can pay using local methods such as mobile money, direct bank transfers, and cards — with settlements directly into European bank accounts or USDT wallets.

Why Elemitech works best for Europe-based companies:

• Multi-country coverage under one API

• Settlements in EUR, USD, or USDT

•  Built for high-compliance sectors like forex, crypto, and trading

• Supports payouts to African customers, affiliates, or suppliers

Pros:

• Great coverage across Africa

• Fast settlement cycles

• Stable for high-value, high-frequency transactions

2. DusuPay

DusuPay is well-known for supporting industries that face restrictions with traditional European payment processors including trading, gaming, digital investments, and remittances.

It enables both collections and payouts, making it ideal for platforms that need to send funds back into Africa.

Why DusuPay stands out:

• High-risk friendly onboarding

• Easy API or dashboard-only setup

•  Used by many global technology companies expanding into Africa

Pros:

• Works across East, West, and Southern Africa

• Accepts both mobile money and bank transfers

• Crypto or fiat settlement choices

• Reliable for recurring payments and payouts

3. Paystack

Paystack, backed by Stripe, is one of the most trusted fintech solutions in Africa. It covers key markets like Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa.

European companies can use it to accept payments via cards, mobile money, and bank transfer, especially for SaaS and e-commerce.

Why choose Paystack:

• Excellent stability and uptime

• Simple integration for developers

• Trusted by leading African online brands

Pros:

• Ideal for mainstream industries

• Competitive pricing

• Strong user experience

Limitations:

• Limited country footprint

• Not suitable for high-risk categories like forex or crypto

Conclusion:

Europe-based companies cannot rely on Visa and Mastercard alone if they want to win customers in Africa.

The winning approach is clear:

• For high-volume or high-compliance products: Elemitech

• For crypto, gaming, or high-risk sectors: DusuPay

• For SaaS and e-commerce in top digital economies: Paystack

The reality is simple: To convert African customers, you must let them pay the way they actually pay.