An African entrepreneur cannot accept international payments on Shopify. PayPal blocks, Stripe is unavailable. There is no payment gateway that does not discriminate based on geography.

1. Describe the problem:

I am an entrepreneur from West Africa (Benin). I have a Shopify store and I want to sell to international customers. The main obstacle is the lack of a working payment gateway. Services like PayPal are known for blocking accounts and freezing funds for six months for entrepreneurs from regions they consider "high-risk," which includes Africa. Stripe is not available in my country. This is a systemic problem that blocks the entire small online business sector on the continent from accessing the global market.

2. How often does the problem occur?

This is a constant barrier for every potential international sale. The problem does not occur occasionally; it is an insurmountable condition of doing business for me and my colleagues.

3. What attempts have you made to solve the problem?

PayPal: Leads to the risk of account blocking and freezing all funds.
Stripe: Not available for direct integration in most African countries.
Local payment systems: Often do not support international cards (Visa/Mastercard) or currencies.
Incorporating a company abroad (e.g., via Stripe Atlas): Too complicated, expensive, and bureaucratic for a micro-business.

4. How much are you willing to pay for the solution?

I am willing to pay $10 per month for a reliable and easy-to-connect payment gateway that integrates with Shopify and allows me to safely accept card payments from customers in the US and Europe, without fear of discriminatory blocking due to my country of residence.

5. Problem author:

Name: Mawussy Glenn-Nick
Country: Benin
Contacts: WhatsApp

Note: This problem was written in French, but we have translated it into English. Therefore, it is preferable if you communicate with the problem's author in his language.

The author of this problem has indicated that they are ready to provide feedback to the developers and want to receive 1% equity in the startup that will build a ready-made solution. You can contact the author directly via the contacts above.