The partnership will enable ImaliPay users to access financial services through Cellulant’s payment rails. Credit: Emmanuel Ikwuegbu on Unsplash.

Nairobi-headquartered ImaliPay is joining forces with pan-African payments company Cellulant to boost financial inclusion for gig workers across Africa.

As part of the tie-up, Cellulant will provide payments infrastructure and solutions to ImaliPay in Kenya and Nigeria.

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The partnership, which aims to help freelancers make and receive payments, will enable ImaliPay users to access financial services through Cellulant’s payment rails.

ImaliPay co-founder and COO Sanmi Akinmusire said: “Most of the financial services provided today are not designed with the gig workers in mind and our aim at ImaliPay is to build an ecosystem where gig workers can create a safety net around their work through savings, credit,  and insurance that drives their productivity and economic empowerment.”

ImaliPay co-founder and CEO Tatenda Furusa said: “Our partnership with Cellulant is an important step in our journey to improve the financial health of gig workers on the continent by leveraging Cellulant’s payment infrastructure to offer our customers an easy way to make and receive payments.”

Both Akinmusire and Furusa, have worked at Cellulant between 2013 and 2020. The partnership’s follows Google’s investment in ImaliPay’s through its Google for Black Founders Fund.

Commenting on the development, Cellulant Group chief business officer David Waithaka said: “At Cellulant, we’re driven by our belief to provide solutions to everyday challenges across Africa by digitising payments for various value chains.

“For us, it’s about what people, businesses and communities can do when the movement of money becomes seamless, dependable and more transparent. We’re proud to partner with Imali Pay, with whom we have shared values and ambitions, to grow the gig economy in Africa.”