Pan-African fintech and payments infrastructure company Payaza has launched Shopaza, a new e-commerce platform designed to help merchants expand their reach across Africa and global markets through AI-powered digital solutions, secure payments, and cross-border trade capabilities.
The platform, which covers Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, as well as North America and Europe, is expected to provide businesses with access to wider markets while simplifying online transactions and product delivery.
Speaking at the launch in Lagos on Thursday, Payaza Africa’s Global Head of Operations, Taiwo Adeeko, described Shopaza as a transformative digital ecosystem built to help merchants grow beyond geographical limitations.
“Shopaza has officially been deployed to production and is live across Africa.
“Let’s scale Shopaza horizontally and let us win together,” Adeeko said.
Expanding Market Access Across Borders
Highlighting the platform’s capabilities, Head of Engineering, Kehinde Omotosho, said Shopaza was developed to give business owners direct access to customers across multiple countries.
According to him, the platform leverages artificial intelligence to support business growth, helping merchants optimise operations and scale more efficiently in an increasingly competitive digital economy.
Omotosho added that flexibility and inclusivity were central to the platform’s design, particularly in the area of logistics and product delivery.
He explained that merchants retain full control over how products reach customers, whether through their preferred delivery partners or logistics services integrated into the Shopaza ecosystem.
Trust At The Core Of Shopaza
For Payaza, trust is not just a feature but the foundation on which Shopaza is built.
Head of Product, Opeyemi Disu, said the platform was intentionally designed to eliminate many of the concerns that often discourage online transactions across emerging markets.
He identified verified merchants, secure payment systems, buyer protection mechanisms and real-time transaction confirmations as the key trust layers embedded in the platform.
“Now, trust is the actual infrastructure. Shopaza allows the sellers to run their digital stores, and they are able to reach users. It’s no longer a faceless store where you are guessing whether that product is secure,” he added.
Support For Buyers And Sellers
Further explaining the platform’s innovation strategy, Product Manager at Payaza Africa, Esther Afia, said Shopaza’s artificial intelligence infrastructure provides both buyers and sellers with instant access to product information and insights into market values across different regions.
The AI-driven capabilities, she noted, are designed to enhance transparency, improve purchasing decisions and create a more informed marketplace for users.
Industry Leaders Highlight Path To Scalable Growth
The launch also featured a panel discussion involving leading figures from Africa’s technology, logistics, finance and business sectors.
Participants included former Finance Manager at Jumia Nigeria and founder of Accounting Hub and Chioma Business School, Chioma Ifeanyi; Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of Fez Delivery, Seun Alley; Founder and CEO of Saint Tracy, Tracy Ajoku; CEO and Co-founder of Bluebulb, Ola Daramola; and Senior Country Director of the US-Nigeria Council for Food Security, Trade and Investment, Kelechi Ekugo.
The panelists emphasised the importance of building trust, delivering tailored customer experiences and leveraging technology-driven solutions to create sustainable and scalable businesses in Africa’s rapidly evolving digital marketplace.
With its launch across multiple African countries and international markets, Shopaza is positioning itself as a platform that enables merchants to trade seamlessly across borders, promote easy payments for products and tap into new growth opportunities in the global digital economy.
