Financial services firm MasterCard has sealed a deal with Africa’s Ecobank Group in 28 countries, according to a briefing in Lagos, Nigeria.

The partnership agreement is planned to enable electronic payments access to more than 60% of Africa's population, says a MasterCard press statement.

In addition Ecobank’s customers in the region are also set to have access to MasterCard's credit, debit and prepaid card products, reads the statement.

Ecobank is also planned to become an issuer and acquirer of MasterCard products in more than 1,200 branches across Africa, giving the bank's customers access to over 35.9 million acceptance points - including 2.1 million ATMs in over 210 countries where MasterCard cards are accepted.

According to a MasterCard, the partnership deal is a multi-country licensing agreement, and the culmination of a Memorandum of Understanding ("MOU") originally signed in November 2011.

"The provision of convenient, reliable and accessible financial products and services forms the bedrock of Ecobank's Pan African strategy," said Patrick Akinwuntan, Ecobank's group executive director responsible for domestic banking.

He added, "We also recognise that partnerships with leading global players such as MasterCard are key to accelerating the migration of our customers to a 'cashless society' throughout Africa."

Ecobank is now licensed by MasterCard in the following 28 countries - Burkina Faso, Benin, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.