Payaza Africa, a payments infrastructure company in Africa, has strengthened its market position with two major rating milestones.

While rating firm, DataPro upgraded Payaza from A to AA-, Intelligent Africa upgraded the fintech firm to an A- investment-grade credit rating.

A statement by the company said the recognition, which marks its fourth credit rating, further validates Payaza’s financial strength, operational discipline, governance standards, and long-term strategic direction.

“The latest ratings build on Payaza’s growing track record of institutional credibility, reinforcing confidence in its business model, performance, and resilience. Together, they position the company as a stable, future-ready player within Africa’s financial services ecosystem and a brand with increasing relevance in the global fintech space,” the firm said.

Commenting on the feat, Seyi Ebenezer, chief executive officer of Payaza Africa, said: “This milestone is a strong affirmation of the work we have done to build Payaza on a foundation of discipline, trust, and long-term value creation. Receiving our latest rating sends a clear message that Payaza is not only growing, but growing with strength, structure, and sustainability.

“For us, this is bigger than recognition. It reflects our commitment to building a world-class institution that can compete globally while continuing to serve businesses and consumers across the continent with excellence.

“Over time, our ratings journey has reflected more than strong financial performance. It speaks to a business built on disciplined execution, prudent management, and the ability to scale responsibly in a dynamic market. This has helped us stand out not only as an innovator in digital payments but as a maturing financial institution with the operational depth to compete globally.

“These new ratings are expected to further strengthen Payaza’s standing with investors, regulators, partners, enterprise clients, and the wider financial community. In a sector where trust, resilience, and compliance are increasingly central to long-term success, independent ratings remain a powerful endorsement of a company’s ability to manage risk, meet obligations, and sustain growth,” he said.

Beyond the ratings, Payaza is also expanding its innovation footprint with the introduction of “Chat and Pay by Payaza,” a new payment feature that enables merchants accept payments and generate receipts for their customers directly from WhatsApp.

The company is also rolling out a new storefront solution for business owners, called Shopaza. The platform enables business owners and merchants to sell products and collect payments with greater ease. These additions reflect Payaza’s continued focus on building practical, accessible tools that simplify commerce for businesses and consumers alike.

With its latest ratings and new customer-focused solutions, Payaza is reinforcing its role as one of the brands helping shape the next chapter of trusted financial infrastructure in Africa and beyond.

Payaza is a leading payment infrastructure company providing seamless solutions for collections, payout, and embedded financial services. The company is focused on building reliable, scalable, and trusted payment systems that support businesses and drive financial access globally.

Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC,) has declared Halimat Adenike Tejuosho, a women leader of the City Boys Movement, wanted.

Halimat Adenike Tejuosho,

A notice issued by the EFCC on Monday via X said Tejuosho has been declared wanted over an alleged case of obtaining money by false pretence.

The notice was signed by Dele Oyewale, head of Media and Publicity for the EFCC.

The anti-graft agency called on members of the public with useful information about her whereabouts to contact any of its offices nationwide.

The Commission also urged the members of the public to reach out via its official phone lines or email, or report to the nearest police station or other security agencies.

Recall that the City Boy Movement recently appointed Tejuosho as the South-West Zonal Women Leader.

According to a statement signed by the Movement, Tejuosho is to provide strategic leadership and coordination for women-focused activities in the zone, driving political mobilization, civic engagement, and advocacy.

African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) has disclosed plans to finance three additional refineries in Nigeria as part of a broader push to reduce the country’s reliance on imported petroleum products and strengthen local refining capacity.

Denys Denya, senior executive vice president of the bank, made the disclosure on Monday during a virtual media briefing focused on the institution’s 2025 financial performance, crisis response initiatives, and long-term industrialisation strategy.

“We are also financing refining on the continent, which will alleviate the importation of refined products. We are not only supporting Dangote; we’re supporting three other refineries in Nigeria,” Denya said.

The briefing, which focused on the bank’s 2025 financial performance, crisis response initiatives, and industrialisation strategy, also featured a question-and-answer session with journalists across Africa.

Denya explained that the push into refining is driven by recent disruptions in global supply chains, particularly linked to tensions in the Middle East, which have raised the cost and complexity of fuel imports for African economies.

According to him, Afreximbank has adopted a dual approach of supporting immediate trade finance needs while investing in long-term productive capacity to reduce structural import dependence.

He said, “For import-dependent economies, the cost of import is very high… so we have taken a proactive approach of engaging with financial institutions on the continent to increase their facilities so they can issue high-value letters of credit.”

The bank’s intervention is backed by a $10bn Gulf Crisis Response Programme, designed to stabilise access to essential imports such as fuel, food, fertilisers, and pharmaceuticals, while also supporting sectors exposed to global shocks.

Denya noted that the facility is already seeing uptake from countries including Kenya, Ethiopia, and Tanzania, warning that demand could accelerate if geopolitical tensions persist.

Beyond short-term interventions, the Afreximbank executive stressed that financing refining projects across Nigeria and other African countries remains central to the bank’s long-term strategy of industrialisation and export development.

He said the bank’s support for large-scale industrial projects, including the Dangote Group refinery, reflects its commitment to reducing Africa’s reliance on imported refined products and strengthening regional value chains.

“Our support for industrialists who are making a difference on the continent is testimony to this approach. We will continue to champion projects that reduce Africa’s reliance on imported refined products,” he added.

Denya further disclosed that the bank is financing similar refining projects in Angola as part of a continent-wide push to achieve self-sufficiency in petroleum products.

The shift towards local refining, he explained, is also expected to improve macroeconomic stability by reducing foreign exchange pressures associated with fuel imports.