# Afro Mobile QR

> Source: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/afro-mobile-qr
> research date 2026-05-29 · extracted at 2026-10-06
> Publisher: Barcoder — encyclopedia of QR, barcode and payment-code standards

Specifications:
- [Afro Mobile Money — official](https://afromobilemoney.com/)

## Overview

**Afro Mobile QR** is **Sierra Leone's Afro Mobile Money platform's QR-code-payment functionality**, operated by **Afro International** — Sierra Leone's **#1 Payment Service Provider, trusted by thousands of Sierra Leoneans with 20+ years of experience** <sup>[1][1], [2][2], [Sierra Leone report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/SL)</sup>. Afro Mobile Money enables **various Mobile-Wallet-based transaction payments for customers including QR-Code Payments** — users can **scan QR Codes provided by registered merchants and pay using their Afro Mobile Money wallet**. Distinctively, **Afro Mobile Money supports cross-MNO interoperability** — users can **send money instantly to other Mobile Money Providers including Orange Money / Afrimoney from their Afro Mobile Money Wallet**.

The structural significance: Sierra Leone's mobile-money landscape is **MNO + fintech diverse**:
- **Afrimoney** (Africell) — major MNO mobile money.
- **Orange Money Sierra Leone** — Orange Group's SL mobile money.
- **Afro Mobile Money** — Afro International's PSP-driven wallet.

**Afro International's 20-year payment-services heritage** + **#1 PSP positioning** make it Sierra Leone's payment-services-veteran. The **cross-MNO interoperability** (Afro → Orange/Afrimoney) is structurally important — bridging Sierra Leone's MNO-fragmented mobile-money ecosystem. **Other Afro Mobile Money features**: Wallet-to-Wallet payments, Wallet-to-Cash-Pickup, Bank Deposits, Airtime Top-up.

## History

**Background — Sierra Leone payment landscape** <sup>[Sierra Leone report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/SL)</sup>:
- **Bank of Sierra Leone (BSL)** — central bank.
- **Afro International** — Sierra Leone's #1 PSP, 20+ years.
- **Africell Sierra Leone** — major MNO with Afrimoney.
- **Orange Sierra Leone** — Orange Group MNO with Orange Money.
- **Splash Mobile Money** — additional player.

**Afro International — 20+ years payment-services heritage** <sup>[1][1]</sup>:
- Long-standing PSP.

**Afro Mobile Money launch** <sup>[1][1]</sup>:
- Mobile wallet with QR.

**Cross-MNO interoperability** <sup>[1][1]</sup>:
- Afro → Orange Money / Afrimoney transfers.

**Wallet-to-Cash-Pickup + Bank Deposits** <sup>[1][1]</sup>:
- Multi-channel cash-out.

## Technical specification

Afro Mobile QR is **Afro International-operated Sierra Leonean mobile-wallet with QR + cross-MNO interoperability** <sup>[1][1], [2][2]</sup>:

| Layer | Description |
|---|---|
| **Operator** | **Afro International** (Sierra Leone #1 PSP, 20+ years) |
| **Country** | Sierra Leone |
| **Currency** | SLL (Sierra Leonean leone) |
| **Channels** | Afro Mobile Money app |
| **Features** | Wallet-to-Wallet, Wallet-to-Cash-Pickup, Bank Deposits, Airtime Top-up, QR Code Payments |
| **Cross-MNO** | Send money to Orange Money / Afrimoney |
| **Merchant payments** | Scan QR Code provided by registered merchants |

## Use cases

**P2P wallet-to-wallet transfers** <sup>[1][1]</sup>: Cardinal — instant.

**Merchant QR-code payments** <sup>[2][2]</sup>: Scan registered merchant QR.

**Wallet-to-Cash-Pickup** <sup>[1][1]</sup>: Cash-out without bank account.

**Bank deposits from wallet** <sup>[1][1]</sup>: Cross-channel cash-out.

**Airtime top-up** <sup>[1][1]</sup>: Multi-MNO.

**Cross-MNO transfers (→ Orange Money / Afrimoney)** <sup>[1][1]</sup>: Interoperability.

**Contactless secure in-store payments** <sup>[2][2]</sup>: Modern UX.

## Implementations & ecosystem

**Operator**: **Afro International** (Sierra Leone PSP).

**Regulator**: **Bank of Sierra Leone (BSL)**.

**Cross-MNO partners**: **Orange Money Sierra Leone, Afrimoney (Africell)**.

**Major SL competitors**: **Afrimoney** (Africell), **Orange Money Sierra Leone**, Splash Mobile Money.

## Fun facts

- **Afro International — Sierra Leone #1 PSP, 20+ years heritage**: Long-standing payment-services veteran.
- **Cross-MNO interoperability**: Afro → Orange Money / Afrimoney transfers.
- **Multi-feature wallet**: Wallet, Cash-Pickup, Bank Deposits, Airtime, QR.
- **QR code merchant payments**: Modern acceptance.
- **Contactless secure in-store payments**: Modern UX.
- **Sierra Leone mobile-money diversity**: Afro + Orange + Africell + Splash.
- **PSP-driven model**: Vs MNO-driven Afrimoney + Orange Money SL.

## Comparison

| Feature | Afro Mobile QR (SL) | Afrimoney (SL Africell) | [Orange Money SL](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/orange-money-sl) (SL) | [HesabPay](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/hesabpay) (AF) | [EVC Plus](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/evc-plus) (SO) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | **Afro International (PSP, 20+ years)** | Africell SL | Orange SL | HesabPay | Hormuud Telecom |
| Type | **PSP-driven mobile wallet + QR + cross-MNO** | MNO mobile money | MNO mobile money | Mobile wallet + Algorand | USSD mobile money |
| Country | Sierra Leone | Sierra Leone | Sierra Leone | Afghanistan | Somalia |
| Cross-MNO | **Yes (→ Orange Money / Afrimoney)** | Limited | Limited | n/a | n/a |
| Heritage | **20+ years SL PSP** | Africell-MNO | Orange-MNO | Recent | Long-standing |

## Status

**Active** <sup>[1][1], [2][2]</sup>:
- **Afro International operator**.
- **Mobile wallet + QR Code Payments + cross-MNO interoperability**.
- **Wallet-to-Wallet + Wallet-to-Cash-Pickup + Bank Deposits + Airtime + QR features**.

## Sources

[1]: https://afromobilemoney.com/ "Afro Mobile Money — official"
[2]: https://afromobilemoney.com/Home/About "Afro Mobile Money About — official"
[3]: https://www.africell.sl/afrimoney/ "Afrimoney — Africell"
[afri]: http://www.africell.sl/afri-money "Afrimoney — Africell Sierra Leone"

- [1] [Afro Mobile Money — official][1]
- [2] [Afro Mobile Money About — official][2]
- [3] [Afrimoney — Africell][3]
- [afri] [Afrimoney — Africell Sierra Leone][afri]
- <sup>[Sierra Leone report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/SL)</sup> `reports/countries/SL-sierra-leone.md`

## Deployments

_No country reports mention this standard by name._