As Zambia’s digital economy accelerates, global mobility and delivery platform Yango is tightening its grip on cashless transactions. With a breakthrough in secure payments, Yango and Flutterwave ignite a powerful new era for Zambia’s digital commerce
Yango, the ride-hailing and food delivery platform backed by Yango Group, has partnered with African fintech heavyweight Flutterwave to strengthen secure digital payments for its taxi and food delivery services in Zambia. The move signals a deliberate shift toward deeper fintech integration as competition in Southern Africa’s on-demand economy intensifies.
Announced in Lusaka on February 25, 2026, the Yango and Flutterwave partnership enables Yango users to pay seamlessly using bank cards processed through Flutterwave’s payment infrastructure, reducing friction in transactions while reinforcing security and reliability.
Zambia’s digital commerce sector is entering a pivotal phase. Increased smartphone penetration, improved connectivity, and the steady rise of online services are nudging consumers toward electronic payments, particularly in urban centers like Lusaka and Ndola.
For Yango, embedding Flutterwave’s infrastructure is less about adding a payment option and more about fortifying its long-term position in a market steadily moving away from cash.
“Partnering with Flutterwave allows us to strengthen our digital payment capabilities while supporting Zambia’s transition toward a more digitally enabled economy,” said Kabanda Chewe, Country Head for Yango Zambia.
In practical terms, this means more reliable transaction processing, enhanced fraud protection, and fewer failed payment pain points that often slow adoption in emerging digital markets.
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The timing is strategic. Food delivery and ride-hailing services in Zambia have seen rising demand, but scaling these platforms sustainably requires dependable digital payment rails. Cash-heavy ecosystems increase operational complexity, from reconciliation to driver remittances and restaurant settlements.
By integrating Flutterwave’s card processing system, Yango is signalling readiness for higher transaction volumes and a more digitally native customer base.
For Flutterwave, the partnership extends its infrastructure deeper into Southern Africa’s consumer services sector. The payments company, which operates across multiple African markets, continues to position itself as the backbone for digital commerce from startups to enterprise platforms.
“Our partnership with Yango represents Flutterwave’s commitment to making payments seamless and accessible across Africa,” said Iyembi Nkanza, Country Head at Flutterwave. “By integrating our payment infrastructure with Yango’s platform, we’re empowering Zambians with secure, convenient payment options that remove friction from everyday transactions.” This frictionless promise is key. In markets where trust in digital payments is still developing, reliability becomes a growth lever. Failed transactions, delays, and security concerns can quickly stall user adoption.
Flutterwave’s infrastructure offers tokenization, fraud monitoring, and real-time processing capabilities, elements critical for platforms operating at scale. Beyond payment processing, the partnership reflects a broader strategic ambition. Yango is steadily building a connected service ecosystem in Zambia, linking riders, drivers, restaurants, and delivery partners within a single digital framework. Digital payments are the connective tissue.
Reliable card processing strengthens restaurant confidence in platform settlements. It improves driver payout efficiency. And it enhances user experience by minimizing payment interruptions. In emerging markets, convenience often determines platform loyalty. If digital payments are consistently reliable, repeat usage increases.
Yango says the Flutterwave integration forms part of a wider investment in Zambia’s tech ecosystem, including technology upgrades, partner support programs, and initiatives aimed at empowering small and medium-sized restaurants that rely on digital platforms for revenue growth.
As more local businesses join food delivery networks, the importance of dependable, scalable fintech partnerships increases, and there’s also a financial inclusion dimension.
Expanding secure card payment options creates pathways for more Zambians to participate in digital commerce. While mobile money remains dominant in many African markets, card-based digital payments continue to grow among urban professionals and small businesses.
By widening payment flexibility, Yango reduces reliance on cash, a shift that supports transparency, traceability, and broader financial integration.
For both companies, the partnership reinforces a shared narrative: building infrastructure that makes everyday digital transactions simpler and safer.
Africa’s mobility and delivery platforms are increasingly converging with fintech players to drive growth. Payments are no longer an add-on feature; they are a strategic infrastructure.
As Zambia’s digital adoption curve steepens, partnerships like Yango and Flutterwave highlight where the next wave of platform competition will unfold, not just in app downloads, but also in transaction reliability, ecosystem integration, and trust.
For Yango, strengthening payment security is a foundational move. For Flutterwave, it’s another node in a continent-wide payments network. And for Zambia’s consumers, it may mean something simpler: fewer failed payments, faster checkouts, and a smoother ride both on the road and at the dinner table.
