Photo: RSwitch
On February 27, 2024, Rwanda’s National Digital Payment System (RNDPS) 2.0 — known to end users as eKash — was launched onstage at the Inclusive Fintech Forum.
In her address to the audience, Rwandan Minister of ICT & Innovation Paula Ingabire said, “Imagine a world where your money moves effortlessly, from your e-wallet to anywhere, without friction. That’s the vision of eKash! Rwanda’s digital payment revolution is here, and it’s just getting started.”
Joining Minister Ingabire onstage were the Honorable John Rwangombwa, Governor of the National Bank of Rwanda; Blaise Pascal Gasabira, CEO of RSwitch Ltd; Innocent Muhizi, CEO of Rwanda Information Society Authority (RISA); Kosta Peric, Chair of the Board of the Mojaloop Foundation; Paula Hunter, Executive Director of the Mojaloop Foundation, and Dr Robert Ochola, CEO of the AfricaNenda Foundation.
Commenting on the launch, Paula Hunter said, “We were just really thrilled to start seeing transactions running live through the system. This has been a fairly long and complex project and we’re excited about the fact that the teams putting the solution together worked so hard, particularly in the last couple of months, to bring it over the line. It was a new technology for RSwitch and they worked pretty closely with some of our engineers making sure that they were clear on how to implement their Mojaloop.”
The Role of Mojaloop in RNDPS 2.0 / eKash
Mojaloop serves as the foundational technology for RNDPS 2.0, implementing the core switching infrastructure for the platform. As an open source product, Mojaloop enables interoperability and financial inclusion by providing a flexible and scalable solution for digital payments.
Unlike RNDPS 1.0, which used a different switch, RNDPS 2.0 builds on Mojaloop to introduce new capabilities, including person-to-merchant (P2M) and person-to-business (P2B) payments. A key priority of this upgrade has been integrating SACCOs and MFIs into the ecosystem, expanding access to digital financial services.
RNDPS 2.0 operates under the consumer-facing brand eKash. While the underlying infrastructure is powered by Mojaloop, end users in Rwanda interact with eKash as the visible payment system brand.
The deployment of Mojaloop in RNDPS 2.0 has been a collaborative effort. RSwitch, Rwanda’s national payments processor, has led the implementation with support from WiredIn, a Rwandan systems integrator. WiredIn has played a crucial role in the project, contributing both as an integration partner and as an active member of the Mojaloop Community. As one of the first graduates of the Mojaloop Accelerator Program, WiredIn has helped drive the technical work necessary to bring RNDPS 2.0 to life. Aimable Rukundo, Chief of Digital Innovation and Projects for RSwitch, and Innocent Muhizi, CEO of RISA, also played vital roles throughout the project.
A key advantage of using Mojaloop is the open source collaboration it enables. When RSwitch identifies new requirements, it can engage with the Mojaloop Community to discuss implementation strategies and leverage existing expertise. This collaborative model ensures that new features — such as merchant payments — can be developed and refined with input from a global network of Mojaloop developers, rather than relying solely on in-house resources. In fact, RSwitch’s Promesse Ishimwe is leading the community’s work on dispute management and Alain Kajangwe and his team at WiredIn are leading the work on open banking for fintechs.
Several members of the Mojaloop Foundation have been actively involved in guiding RSwitch through the deployment of RNDPS 2.0. This includes Engineering Director James Bush, Technical Director Sam Kummary, and Director of Product Management Paul Makin, along with other Mojaloop Community members. Their contributions have helped ensure a smooth implementation and the continued evolution of RNDPS 2.0 as an open and scalable payments platform.
Powering a More Inclusive Future for Rwandans
Rwanda is on the forefront of global innovation in the DPI space, with RNDPS leveraging Mojaloop as the DPG to enable seamless connectivity.
Rwanda aims to integrate additional DPI initiatives, with Mojaloop serving as a key component of that effort. The Mojaloop Foundation team remains committed to supporting this vision, working to further integrate the platform into Rwanda’s broader digital ecosystem.
