Image by Julio Lopez
Visa will open an office in Dakar by the end of 2026, adding a Senegalese base to its West and Central African network as it uses the Summer Youth Olympic Games Dakar 2026 to push digital payment acceptance in the host country. The payments company announced the office alongside its sponsorship of the Games, which run from 31 October to 13 November. The activation, branded “Visa at Dakar 2026: Powering the Payment Experience”, includes two fan zones in Dakar and Saly built around payment acceptance, “Visa Accepted Here” visibility and sales for local merchants.
Worldwide Partner of the Olympic and Paralympic Games
Dakar 2026 is the first Olympic sporting event held in Africa and is expected to bring around 2,700 young athletes to Senegal, with competition spread across Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly. Visa has partnered with the Olympic Movement since 1986 and is a Worldwide Partner of the Olympic and Paralympic Games through 2032. The Dakar programme localises that global deal, with Visa working through its member banks and partners on acceptance and merchant engagement.
According to Visa, the office will put it closer to clients, regulators, merchants and fintechs in Senegal. Its Western and Central Africa region, which covers 23 markets, has been run from hubs in Abidjan, Accra, Kinshasa and Lagos.
Historic moment for Senegal & Africa
“Africa Welcomes, Dakar Celebrates. Dakar 2026 is much more than a sporting event. It is a historic moment for Senegal and for Africa, and an opportunity to show the world the talent, energy and ambition of a new generation,” said Aminata Kane, Sr. Vice President and Group Country Manager for Visa Western & Central Africa. “The opening of Visa’s office in Dakar marks an important milestone in its engagement with Senegal.
Through its Worldwide Olympic Partnership and in collaboration with its members and partners, Visa will support secure, convenient digital payment experiences for athletes, fans and visitors, while contributing to the country’s digital transformation journey beyond the Games.”
Market Entry
A permanent Dakar presence for Visa gives the company a standing relationship with the banks that issue its cards and the merchants that accept them. Senegal’s everyday payments run largely through mobile money wallets such as Wave and Orange Money rather than cards. Kane knows that business well, before joining Visa in September 2025, she ran Orange Money Group across 17 countries.
The fan zones and merchant programme put card and contactless acceptance in front of retailers at the one moment when large numbers of international visitors carrying Visa cards are in the country, giving acquiring banks a concrete reason to sign up merchants who might otherwise take only wallet payments. If acceptance points installed for the Games stay active and the Dakar office translates into new issuing partnerships with local banks, the sponsorship will have done the work of a market-entry campaign.
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