Africa’s leading integrated payments and digital commerce company, Interswitch, has highlighted the integral role developers play in the development of the digital payment ecosystem in Nigeria.
The Group Head, Engineering, Digital Ecosystem, and Web Acquiring, Interswitch, Abdul-Hafiz Ibrahim, made this known as he delivered the keynote address at the 2021 Developers Festival (DevFest) which held recently at the Landmark Events Centre in Lagos.
While addressing the diverse gathering of thousands of enthusiastic technology developers, Ibrahim noted the rapid adoption of digital products by consumers occasioned by the restrictions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.
He noted that as movement across the country was restricted, tech firms were driven to introduce digital solutions that met the needs of their consumers.
As technology adoption has gathered pace, Ibrahim enjoined the audience to work collectively to create a unified platform for developers to access Application Programming Interfaces (APIs).
He further described an API as a useful tool for the creation of solutions that cater to the needs of end consumers and identified its importance in the facilitation of data exchange securely and easily by developers.
In line with Interswitch’s commitment to supporting tech professionals, he said the payment service provider ensures developers have easy access to APIs for integration into their various technological products through services such as Know Your Customer (KYC), Value Added Services (VAS), Issuing and Omnichannel Payments.
To intensify this action, Ibrahim said Interswitch is collaborating with developers and partners to create an API marketplace that will bring about the simplification of tech products for use by consumers.
According to him, the collaboration also led to the development of an initiative by the Interswitch Group called the ‘Developers Commission’ where developers can earn money while using the brand’s API.
All these efforts by Interswitch outline the company’s commitment to driving a prosperous Africa, eliminating challenges associated with payment, while partnering and empowering African tech talent.
“We are aware of the critical role we play in the tech ecosystem and are consistently driven to sustain the momentum we have gained over the past 20 years of participating in the evolution and adoption of technology in Nigeria.
“We will continue to support the tech community as underscored by our sponsorship of the DevFest Lagos 2021 event.
“The DevFest event is a renowned platform for stakeholders and operators in the technology sector to share insights and discuss trends that will drive the industry.
“It is, therefore, our pleasure to be partners with the organisers to bring this incredible community together to commune in their shared passion for tech.”
Interswitch continues to champion innovation in the digital payment ecosystem, a space where it plays a leading role while cooperating with tech enthusiasts to form an incubation pod for Avant-Garde products that address the pain points of consumers, fostering prosperity in Africa.
Other speakers at the event called for collaborative efforts and an inclusive approach by all players in the industry to realise the collective goal of tackling commonplace problems using technological solutions.
