Institute for Inclusive Digital Africa

What Institute for Inclusive Digital Africa does

The Institute for Inclusive Digital Africa (IIDiA) is a pan-African non-profit institute headquartered in Accra, Ghana, that designs and deploys digital public infrastructure for financial inclusion across West and Central Africa. Its core technology stack is built on the open-source Mojaloop platform, configured with proprietary Sub-ID routing innovations (developed with technical partner INFITX) that allow payment identifiers to be interpreted intelligently across providers without requiring separate registrations. Flagship deployments include BANTABA 2.0, The Gambia's national real-time interoperable payment system launched in December 2025 serving over three million people, and GIIPS, Ghana's inclusive instant payment system for savings, loans, microfinance, and credit union institutions under Bank of Ghana supervision. The institute also operates the J'aime ma langue voice AI platform in Benin, building sovereign voice datasets in six local languages to train speech-aware AI models.

IIDiA serves a dual customer base: African governments and central banks (Central Bank of The Gambia, Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy of Gambia, ASIN in Benin, Ministry of Digital and Digitalization of Benin) on one side, and digital financial service providers (banks, mobile money operators, fintechs, microfinance institutions) on the other. Its business model is grant-funded and advisory-driven, with the Gates Foundation as a flagship funding partner, supplemented by UNFPA-led programs (the Lux Project funded by Luxembourg) and consulting-style technical cooperation agreements. The organization coordinates ecosystem capacity building, technical training, and policy alignment rather than selling commercial software, and it routes infrastructure enhancements back to the Mojaloop open-source community. The team is small (1-10 employees) but is supported by an expanding board that includes a former Prime Minister of Togo, and operates across at least thirteen African countries including Ghana, The Gambia, Benin, Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, Togo, Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Name

Institute for Inclusive Digital Africa

Legal name

Institute for Inclusive Digital Africa

Website

https://iidia.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Institute for Inclusive Digital Africa is a Ghana-based non-profit that deploys open-source Mojaloop-based digital payment infrastructure and voice AI platforms to advance financial inclusion across West and Central Africa, serving governments, central banks, and digital financial service providers through grant-funded technical assistance.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Public Infrastructure

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Development & ICT4D / GovTech Technical Assistance (BPADAEAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Program & Project Implementation (TA Delivery) (BPADAEAA), Technical Cooperation, Capacity Building & Policy Advisory Programs (BPADABAO), Economic Growth, Trade & Private Sector Development Programs (BPADABAF)

Keywords

• Digital public infrastructure
• Financial inclusion services
• Instant payment systems
• Digital transformation consulting
• Interoperable payment switch

Headquarters

HQ city

Accra

HQ country

Ghana

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Consulting and Technical Advisory Services: IIDiA provides strategic advice and integrated solutions to African countries for digital transformation, assisting stakeholders in defining inclusive business models and building capacities of African leaders and professionals
2. Grant Funding: Project funding from international donors and foundations including the Gates Foundation for digital inclusion initiatives, payment system development, and digital public infrastructure

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

IIDiA delivers digital public infrastructure projects and technical advisory services to African governments, central banks, and financial sector associations. Its core offerings include national interoperable instant payment systems (BANTABA 2.0 in The Gambia, GIIPS in Ghana), a national voice AI platform for local languages (J'aime ma langue in Benin), and capacity-building programs for digital financial inclusion. Services are funded by grants and executed through partnerships with foundations like the Gates Foundation and the Mojaloop Foundation.

Product overview

IIDIA is a pan-African institute focused on digital equity and inclusion, operating as a coordination and advisory body rather than a traditional product company. Its core offerings center on digital public infrastructure for financial inclusion: BANTABA 2.0 (Gambia's real-time interoperable payment system), GIIPS (Ghana's inclusive instant payment system), and the Regional Laboratory for Digital Technology and Innovation. Complementary initiatives include the Modern Technological Campus for education, the Lux Project for women's economic resilience, the Gambia Digital for Development Project, and the J'aime ma langue voice AI platform in Benin. IIDIA also partners with MTL connect for digital skills training across Francophone Africa.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• BANTABA 2.0 The Gambia's national inclusive instant payment system enabling real-time interoperable digital payments across banks, mobile money operators, microfinance institutions, fintechs, and public institutions. Built on Mojaloop technology, it allows funds to move instantly between accounts regardless of provider.
• J'aime ma langue (I love my language) National voice collection platform in Benin for building sovereign voice databases to train AI models in local languages, promoting digital inclusion and linguistic heritage preservation.
• GIIPS (GHASALC-GHAMFIN-CUA Inclusive Instant Payment System) Ghana's inclusive instant payment system developed in collaboration with Ghana Association of Savings and Loans Companies, GHAMFIN, and Credit Union Association of Ghana under Bank of Ghana supervision.
• Regional Laboratory for Digital Technology and Innovation IIDiA initiative to accelerate development of Digital Public Goods in West Africa by supporting digital transformation agendas and creating strategic partnerships between public and private digital ecosystem actors.
• The Modern Technological Campus of IIDiA Educational and research campus dedicated to shaping the future of education, research, and technological innovation in the digital age through advanced knowledge, interdisciplinary collaboration, and cutting-edge technologies.
• The Lux Project UNFPA-led initiative funded by the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, implemented in partnership with CIF, IIDiA, and RCPB, aimed at strengthening economic resilience of women and young people through financial and non-financial solutions with digital tools.
• The Gambia Digital for Development Project Project supporting The Gambia's National Financial Inclusion Strategy and digital transformation agenda through design and deployment of a national instant, interoperable payment system and National Financial Literacy Program.
• Consulting and Technical Advisory Services Strategic advice and integrated solutions provided to African countries for digital transformation, assisting stakeholders in defining inclusive business models and building capacities of African leaders and professionals.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3 million+ Gambians now have access to real-time interoperable payments through BANTABA 2.0
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and major.

• Mojaloop FoundationcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 October 2024Strategic partnership for deploying Mojaloop-based instant payment infrastructure in Africa. The foundation provides open-source technology that IIDiA adapts and implements for African markets, contributing enhancements back to the global open-source community.
• INFITXcoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnical partner that worked with IIDiA on The Gambia's Mojaloop-based platform, implementing Sub-ID routing for improved payment identifier interpretation. Contributed Account Lookup Service enhancements back to Mojaloop Foundation.
• Printemps NumériquecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to broadcast MTL Connect (Montreal Digital Week) to African universities and institutions. IIDiA coordinated live broadcasts to Benin universities and other French-speaking African countries, covering topics in AI, cybersecurity, and digital transformation.
• GamswitchcoreTechnology or IntegrationNational payment switch operator in Gambia operating BANTABA 2.0 platform. IIDiA supported coordination and alignment of technical standards for the national instant payment system.
• ASIN (Agence des Systèmes d'Information et du Numérique)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerBenin's unified government digital agency partnered with IIDiA on the 'I love my language' national voice collection project to build AI models capable of understanding and speaking local languages.
• Sèmè City (Benin)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBenin's innovation and experimentation hub supporting the 'I love my language' project, contributing to the national voice database development for AI training.
• Benin Government / Ministry of Digital and DigitalizationflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerBenin's government through the Ministry of Digital and Digitalization (MND) collaborated with IIDiA on the 'I love my language' project, positioning Benin as a model for digital and cultural inclusion.
• Central Bank of The GambiaflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerLed the Gambia Interoperability Switch Program and BANTABA 2.0 launch, with IIDiA providing technical coordination and ecosystem alignment for national payment system modernization.
• Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy (Gambia)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment ministry leading digital transformation agenda, partnered with IIDiA for national payment infrastructure development and digital inclusion strategies.
• Ghana Association of Savings and Loans Companies (GHASALC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in GIIPS (GHASALC-GHAMFIN-CUA Inclusive Instant Payment System) project for Ghana's savings and loans sector interoperability.
• GHAMFINmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in GIIPS project for Ghana's microfinance sector inclusion in national instant payment system.
• Credit Union Association of Ghana (CUA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in GIIPS project for Ghana's credit union sector integration into national payment interoperability.
• CIF (Confederation of Financial Institutions of West Africa)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerImplementing partner for the Lux Project along with IIDiA and RCPB, focusing on financial inclusion for women and youth in West Africa.
• RCPBmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Lux Project for economic resilience of women and young people through digital financial tools.
• TazamacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to tackle fraud and expand financial inclusion in Africa through collaborative efforts in payment system integrity.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• CGAP (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor): World Bank-hosted global partnership working on financial inclusion policy, digital finance, and payment system development in low-income countries with a strong Africa focus.
• UNCDF (UN Capital Development Fund): UN agency focused on financial inclusion and digital finance in least developed countries, including programs in West Africa, with comparable grant-funded technical assistance and policy advisory roles to those IIDiA delivers.
• FSD Africa: Financial Sector Deepening Africa is a specialist development organization that funds and supports market-building, digital finance, and payment infrastructure projects across the continent, closely paralleling IIDiA's digital public infrastructure mandate.
• Onafriq (formerly MFS Africa): Pan-African cross-border payments network enabling interoperability between mobile wallets, banks, and fintechs across the same corridors where IIDiA is deploying national instant payment systems.
• GSMA: Global mobile industry organization running the Mobile Money programme and digital inclusion initiatives across Africa, often collaborating with the same central banks, mobile network operators, and donor partners that IIDiA serves.
• Mojaloop Foundation: Open-source foundation that builds the interoperable payment platform (Mojaloop) on which IIDiA's BANTABA 2.0 and GIIPS deployments are built. IIDiA adapts and contributes enhancements back to this shared open-source codebase.

Others

• Bank of Ghana: Regulator and policy sponsor of Ghana's instant payment system (GIIPS) where IIDiA is a technical partner; central banks across IIDiA's markets are the principal counterparties and ecosystem shapers.
• Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation: IIDiA's flagship funder and a major global philanthropic backer of digital financial inclusion initiatives in Africa, providing the grant capital that underwrites much of IIDiA's program portfolio.

Emerging players

• Caribou Data: Digital public infrastructure consultancy supporting digital ID and DPI implementations across Africa and Asia, with overlapping project delivery and donor relationships with IIDiA.
• Interledger Foundation: Foundation advancing open standards and open-source technology for interoperable payments, sharing the same open-source ethos and African financial inclusion agenda as IIDiA.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/iidiafrica
• Facebookfacebook.com/iidiafrica
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/iidiafrica
• Instagraminstagram.com/iidiafrica

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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