American Express and Ecobank expand card acceptance in Africa

Under this agreement, American Express Card Members will gain access to their Cards in twelve additional countries, including Burundi, Central African Republic, Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Niger, São Tomé and Príncipe, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, and Togo.

Moreover, the number of merchants accepting American Express Card payments will see an increase in nine countries where American Express acceptance already exists, namely Cape Verde, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Nigeria, the Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda.

The rollout of acceptance in these countries is slated to occur over the next 12 months. It's worth noting that Ecobank will facilitate ATM acceptance for American Express in all African countries where they operate, with the exception of Cape Verde.

The announcement of this agreement was made during the African Development Bank Group Annual Meetings 2024, with the aim of bolstering the American Express global network by expanding the locations where American Express Card Members can utilize their Cards in Sub-Saharan Africa. Additionally, the agreement is expected to enable merchants to tap into a new customer base comprising American Express consumer, business, and corporate Card Members both within Africa and internationally.

Potential for scaling

Representatives of Ecobank Group, expressed their satisfaction with the partnership, highlighting the benefits it will bring to American Express Card Members and merchants across Africa. They emphasized the scalability of Ecobank’s banking ecosystem and network across the continent.

American Express representatives echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the milestone achieved through the expanded acceptance across Africa, which will now span 42 countries. They expressed anticipation for providing merchants in these countries access to higher-spending American Express Card Members.