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How The Gambia’s Payment Needs Drove the Latest Mojaloop Innovation

Open source software thrives on a simple premise: a specific problem for one user often reveals a universal solution for many. This week, INFITX Africa is proud to showcase a contribution developed in collaboration with our strategic partner, IIDIA and Gamswitch.

While INFITX Africa has long been active in the Mojaloop community, this project welcomes IIDIA as a new contributor. Together, we tackled a critical friction point blocking financial inclusion in The Gambia.

The “Duplicate Wallet” Problem

In the specific regional context in which IIDIA operates, the standard approach to routing payments created friction. Users often found themselves needing duplicate active wallets on their mobile phones just to transact across different providers. Furthermore, the requirement for users to manually “opt in” to the system created a significant adoption barrier.

We realised that the information needed to route the payment was often already hiding in plain sight, inside the payment identifier itself, but the system lacked the flexibility to interpret it.

The Fix: Configuration Over Code

Our solution was to build the ALS Static Oracle Service.. Instead of forcing the region to change its numbering scheme, we changed the software to understand the region.

We introduced Sub-ID Based Routing, a feature that allows the Oracle to use configurable mapping rules. By parsing the payment identifier (using the sub-ID), the system can now intelligently route payments to the correct destination without requiring a central directory lookup or a manual user registration process.

Why This Matters

This contribution is technical, but the impact is human:

  1. Seamless Integration: Using Configurable Rules, the solution supports direct integration with existing payment identifiers, allowing it to map nicely to the region’s established payment rails.
  2. Removed Barriers: The “opt-in” hurdle is gone.
  3. Better UX: Solved the multiple-wallet issue on mobile devices.
  4. Performance: It is a lightweight, elegant solution that doesn’t add heavy processing overhead.

Partner with Us

This project is a perfect example of how INFITX and IIDIA approach implementation. We don’t just deploy software; we adapt it to fit the use case while maintaining the Level One Project principles of reach and inclusivity.

If you are looking to implement Mojaloop and need partners who understand how to bridge the gap between global standards and local realities, reach out to us today.

References:

Contact the INFITX Team