By Howell Magondu, Vice President, Partnerships, Global Enterprises and Institutions at Onafriq
For many UK businesses, the search for growth increasingly extends beyond domestic borders. Against a backdrop of modest economic growth at home, rising competition and evolving consumer demand, payments revolution, more businesses are looking internationally to unlock new revenue streams.
Recent research shows that 54 percent of UK mid-market businesses are increasing their strategic focus on international markets, while 39 percent of UK businesses are actively planning to expand overseas. As businesses look beyond traditional export markets, attention is increasingly turning to emerging economies where digital adoption is accelerating, and consumer markets continue to expand.
Africa is firmly part of that conversation. Research suggests that more than a third of UK exporters are targeting African markets for future growth, recognising the continent’s long-term economic potential. Home to some of the world’s fastest-growing economies, a young and increasingly connected population, and a rapidly evolving digital ecosystem, Africa presents a compelling commercial opportunity for businesses willing to think beyond traditional markets.
For years, discussions about Africa’s investment potential have centred on demographics and economic growth. Increasingly, however, the more important story is infrastructure. As payments become simpler, faster and more connected, the barriers to doing business across the continent are shifting from structural constraints to commercial decisions.
Beyond accessing new customers, many businesses are also seeking markets where competition is less saturated than in mature economies, creating greater potential for stronger margins while establishing an early foothold in fast-growing markets. Yet despite this potential, many companies have historically viewed expansion into the continent as operationally challenging.
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Historically, businesses seeking to operate across Africa have had to contend with fragmented payment systems, differing regulatory environments and multiple local integrations. Entering several African markets often meant building separate relationships with banks, mobile money operators and payment providers in each country. For many businesses, the complexity and cost of doing so outweighed the opportunity.
A quiet revolution in payments infrastructure is reshaping how businesses access African markets. Advances in payment orchestration, interoperability and cross-border financial services are making it easier than ever for international merchants to collect payments, make disbursements and manage operations across multiple African countries through a single connection.
Businesses cannot grow where they cannot receive payments seamlessly. They cannot efficiently pay suppliers, employees or partners without trusted financial infrastructure. Removing these barriers transforms international expansion from a complex technical exercise into a commercially viable strategy. This is where the next generation of payment infrastructure is beginning to reshape the opportunity.
The recent partnership between Yuno and Onafriq reflects this broader transformation. By integrating Onafriq’s Pan-African payments network into Yuno’s global payment orchestration platform, merchants can now access payment capabilities across 43 African markets through a single API. Rather than navigating dozens of local integrations and compliance frameworks independently, businesses can connect nearly one billion mobile wallets, 500 million bank accounts, and more than 2,000 cross-border payment corridors through a unified platform.
While this is only one example of how payments infrastructure is evolving, it signals a wider shift taking place across the continent. The barriers that have traditionally slowed market entry are steadily falling.
For UK businesses, the implications are significant. Retailers can sell to customers using locally preferred payment methods, while digital platforms onboard users without rebuilding payment infrastructure country by country. Travel companies can streamline collections and payouts, while software providers, gaming companies and online marketplaces enter high-growth markets with greater speed and confidence than ever before.
Perhaps most importantly, these developments are democratising international expansion. Historically, entering African markets required significant investment, specialist expertise and lengthy implementation timelines, placing expansion beyond the reach of many mid-sized businesses. Modern payment infrastructure is changing that equation by reducing the technical complexity associated with operating across multiple markets.
This allows businesses to focus on what truly drives growth: understanding customers, tailoring products to local needs and building meaningful commercial relationships.
At the same time, Africa has pioneered mobile money at scale, expanded financial inclusion through digital channels and embraced technologies that have transformed how consumers and businesses transact. In many respects, African payments ecosystems have evolved rapidly by building modern digital infrastructure without decades of legacy systems.
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Increasingly, Africa is no longer viewed simply as an emerging opportunity for the future, but as a dynamic commercial market that businesses can engage with today. As payment infrastructure becomes more connected, interoperable and globally accessible, businesses have an opportunity to rethink how they approach international growth.
The conversation is no longer about whether Africa is too difficult to enter; it is about how quickly businesses can position themselves in one of the world’s most promising growth markets. The companies that succeed over the next decade are unlikely to be those that wait until opportunities become obvious. They will be those that recognise when the underlying infrastructure has changed, and act before everyone else does.
For UK businesses looking beyond traditional markets, the payments revolution is doing more than simplifying transactions. It is lowering barriers, unlocking opportunity and opening the door to Africa.