OPEN SWITCH AFRICA
Technology & Developers
Built for flexibility. Built for scale. Built for Africa.
OpenSwitch Africa is designed with a modular, microservices-based architecture that enables seamless integration, high performance, and regulatory compliance across diverse African financial ecosystems.
We empower governments, financial service providers, and developers with the tools to deploy an interoperable, real-time payment switch using open-source technology – without vendor lock-in.
Technical Architecture Overview
OpenSwitch Africa uses a hub-based model to route, authorise, and settle payments between digital financial service providers (DFSPs).
Architecture Highlights:
Core Technical Components
| Component | Function |
|---|---|
| API Gateway & Adapters | Acts as the primary interface for DFSPs to connect, send, and receive transactions. Includes pre-built adapters for popular systems. |
| Central Services | Manages switching logic, transaction rules, fraud detection, and scheme enforcement. |
| Account Lookup Service | Resolves routing info and orchestrates party requests for sender/receiver matching. |
| Clearing & Settlement | Handles both real-time and batch processing with configurable finality rules. |
| Security Services | Encrypts data, manages access control, enforces 2FA, and logs all sensitive actions. |
| Analytics & Monitoring | Provides dashboards, transaction insights, and alerts for operators and regulators. |
Integration & Developer Tooling
Whether you’re a fintech startup, government operator, or regional payment processor - OpenSwitch Africa is built for ease of integration.
| Developer Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Developer Portal | Access API docs, SDKs, integration guides, and sandbox tools. |
| Open APIs | RESTful, standardised interfaces for transaction initiation, account lookup, reconciliation, and KYC. |
| Sandbox Environment | Safe space to test and validate connections before going live. |
| Reference Implementation | Hub codebase available for cloning, extending, or localising. |
| Dev Support Channels | GitHub issues, mailing list, or direct technical engagement options. |
Simple enough to get started in days. Powerful enough to scale across a nation.
Security by Design
We don’t treat security as an afterthought, it’s embedded into every layer of the platform.
Every payment on OpenSwitch is traceable, auditable, and defensible.
Standards & Interoperability
We believe open standards are key to financial inclusion and innovation.
Deployment Models
OpenSwitch Africa supports flexible deployment environments:
| Deployment Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Cloud-Based | Fastest deployment option; scalable infrastructure for sandbox or production. |
| On-Premise | For government, regulator, or high-compliance deployments with controlled infrastructure. |
| Hybrid Model | Mix local infrastructure with cloud for optimised cost and performance. |
Our platform adapts to your infrastructure, not the other way around.
Governance & Extensibility
We don’t treat security as an afterthought, it’s embedded into every layer of the platform.
- Reference Governance Framework available for national or regional adoption
- Support for modular upgrades (e.g. add cross-border clearing module later)
- Custom rulesets for scheme enforcement, onboarding policies, settlement windows, etc.
- Open community roadmap – contribute features, raise issues, suggest enhancements
Let’s build it together.
For Developers, Governments & Ecosystem Builders
Whether you're building the next fintech app or modernising your country’s payment backbone, OpenSwitch Africa provides the tools to move faster, safer, and smarter.