Advancing a Unified Digital Payment Ecosystem: CIDRA Project Leadership at EACON 2025
The CIDRA Project Team Lead at SIMAD University, Dr. Ali Olow Jimale, moderated a high-level panel discussion titled “Advancing a Unified Digital Payment Ecosystem in the East African Community (EAC)” during the East African Conference (EACON), held in Mogadishu from October 7–8, 2025.
The panel brought together experts from academia, financial institutions, and government to explore pathways toward regional financial integration. Discussions focused on addressing emerging cybersecurity threats, enhancing financial inclusion, reducing cross-border transaction costs, and strengthening digital payment infrastructure across the region.
Panelists also emphasized the widespread adoption of mobile money services across East African countries as a critical enabler for accelerating the development of a unified regional digital payment ecosystem.
CIDRA (an acronym for Creating a joint Infrastructure for Dialogue, Research and Advocacy between Europe and Africa) aims at building a permanent network of scholarly reflection, joint research,exchange of methodologies, and advocacy to strengthening regional integration andcooperation in and between Africa and Europe.
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