How to accept MTN MoMo payments on WooCommerce

To accept MTN MoMo on a WooCommerce store, install a Mobile Money payment gateway plugin, connect it to a payment account that has MTN enabled, and test a payment in sandbox mode before going live. With Fosia Pay Lite the setup takes about an hour and the plugin costs nothing: it is free on WordPress.org, with unlimited payments and no commission from Fosia (you only pay your payment account's own fees).

What you need

• A WordPress site with WooCommerce and HTTPS.
• Your own PawaPay merchant account, with MTN Mobile Money enabled for your country. Opening it is free; the account checks your business documents.
• About an hour for the setup itself. A new payment account takes longer to be approved, so open it first.

Step 1: install Fosia Pay Lite

In WordPress, go to Plugins › Add New, search for Fosia Pay Lite, then click Install and Activate. A guided setup opens once: it asks for the mode (Sandbox or Live), your API token and shows the callback address to copy.

Step 2: connect your payment account

Create an API token in your payment account's dashboard (a sandbox token first) and paste it in the guided setup, or in WooCommerce › Settings › Payments › Fosia Pay Lite. Click “Test Connection”.

Step 3: paste the callback address

Copy the callback URL shown by the plugin into your account's dashboard, under the callback URLs for deposits. This is how your store learns that a customer approved the payment. Signed callbacks are optional: either way, the plugin checks each payment with your account before the order is marked paid.

Step 4: test, then go live

Place an order in sandbox mode with a test number. The customer sees a secure payment page, chooses MTN MoMo and approves the payment on their phone; the order should turn to Processing on its own. Then switch to your live token.

What the customer sees

At checkout they choose Mobile Money, confirm the amount in their own currency (RWF, UGX, GHS, XAF, XOF…) and approve the MTN MoMo prompt with their PIN. Your store prices can stay in US dollars or euros: the amount is converted at checkout.

MTN MoMo and the other networks

The same plugin accepts the other networks enabled on your account, such as Airtel Money, Orange Money, M-Pesa, Moov Money and Wave, in 21 African countries. Customers pick their network on the payment page.

When to move to Pro

Lite is enough to sell. Fosia Pay Pro adds checkout on your own site without a redirect, refunds from the WooCommerce order, payouts to suppliers and payment links with QR codes, from $19.99 a year or $59 once. See the full setup guide for every screen.