By: Nana
Appiah Acquaye
Rwanda and Tanzania are
advancing efforts to strengthen cybersecurity and interoperability for instant
payment systems following a technical mission supporting the Rwanda–Tanzania
Instant Payment System Proof of Concept (PoC).
The technical mission was
convened in Kigali, under the leadership of the EU–EAC DEEP Programme and
brought together leaders and technical experts from RSwitch, the National Bank
of Rwanda (BNR), the Ministry of ICT and Innovation (MINICT), the National
Cyber Security Authority (NCSA), the East African Community (EAC) Secretariat
and the EU–EAC DEEP Programme.
The engagement focused on
strengthening cybersecurity resilience within the proposed instant payment
system and identifying priority actions required to support the Rwanda–Tanzania
PoC.
Participants also worked
towards advancing a joint roadmap to guide the development and implementation
of the proof of concept, with emphasis on secure and trusted digital payment
infrastructure.
The mission forms part of
broader efforts to promote interoperable instant payment systems across East
Africa and strengthen regional cooperation in digital financial infrastructure.
Stakeholders underscored the
importance of cybersecurity, secure digital infrastructure and interoperability
in supporting the development of a more connected East African digital economy.
The Rwanda–Tanzania
initiative is expected to contribute to efforts to improve cross-border digital
payments while strengthening the security and resilience of emerging payment
systems in the region.
