EthSwitch Unveils Unified Government Payment Platform to Streamline Ethiopia’s Digital Payments
Ethiopia’s national payment switch, EthSwitch, has unveiled a Unified Government Payment Platform (UGPP) designed to address fragmentation in public-sector payments and create a more interoperable digital payment ecosystem across the country.
The platform was presented at the Ethiopia Finance Forum 2026 by Kidus Menfese, Senior Business Analyst at EthSwitch. The forum, organised by the National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE) from September 29 to October 1, brought together policymakers, financial institutions, investors, development partners and industry leaders to discuss financial-sector reform, financial inclusion and digital transformation.
Addressing Fragmentation in Government Payments
The introduction of UGPP comes as Ethiopia continues to implement broad economic and financial reforms covering areas such as foreign-exchange policy, monetary policy, financial-sector regulation and increased private-sector participation.
The country is also advancing the second phase of its national digital-payments strategy, with interoperability and the expansion of digital financial services among its priorities.
Against this backdrop, EthSwitch said the Unified Government Payment Platform is intended to address the fragmented nature of government payment collections, where public agencies and billers may operate separate integrations with financial institutions and customers may need to use different platforms and channels to pay for public services.
UGPP is designed to establish a common national payment infrastructure through which financial institutions and customer-facing payment platforms can connect to government services through a single interoperable network.
Multiple Channels, One Payment Infrastructure
According to the presentation, the platform adopts an architectural approach aimed at enabling different payment solutions to operate through the national switch.
Under the proposed infrastructure, customers would be able to make government-related payments through a range of channels, including mobile applications, ATMs, USSD, bank branches and agents.
The system is also designed to support different payment methods, including account-based payments, QR codes and alias-based payments.
By connecting government billers, financial institutions, payment channels and customers within a more integrated ecosystem, UGPP is intended to simplify the process of accessing and paying for government services.
Alignment with Ethiopia’s Digital-Payments Strategy
The initiative is closely aligned with the National Bank of Ethiopia’s broader digital-payments roadmap.
The NBE’s 2026–2030 draft strategy identifies fragmentation in government payment collections and disbursements as one of the challenges facing the country’s payment ecosystem. The strategy calls for a unified e-government service platform capable of centralising public-service payments.
EthSwitch has positioned its work on person-to-government (P2G) and government-to-person (G2P) payments within the framework of Ethiopia’s Digital Ethiopia 2030 strategy, the National Digital Payments Strategy and the country’s broader development of digital public infrastructure.
EthSwitch Briefs Senior Government Officials
During the Ethiopia Finance Forum, EthSwitch also briefed Deputy Prime Minister Temesgen Tiruneh, Finance Minister Ahmed Shide and NBE Governor Eyob Tekalign on its services and role in Ethiopia’s digital financial infrastructure, according to the company.
The engagement comes as Ethiopia seeks to strengthen its financial system while expanding access to digital financial services and modernising the infrastructure supporting payments across the economy.
Part of Ethiopia’s Broader Digital Transformation
The Ethiopia Finance Forum 2026 is being held at the Adwa Victory Memorial Museum in Addis Ababa, with discussions covering macroeconomic reform, financial inclusion, banking-sector investment, digital public infrastructure and the future development of Ethiopia’s financial sector.
The presentation of UGPP places government payment infrastructure within the wider transformation of Ethiopia’s digital financial ecosystem.
If implemented as outlined, the platform would provide a common infrastructure through which government billers, financial institutions and payment channels could interact, while giving citizens multiple options for making public-service payments.
For EthSwitch, the initiative represents another step in its role within Ethiopia’s national payment infrastructure as the country continues to pursue greater interoperability, digital financial inclusion and the expansion of digital public services.
