Global payment platform PayPal and Nigerian ecommerce venture MallforAfrica (MFA) have joined forces to offer consumers the benefit of additional payment options.

MFA, which has facilitated access by Africans to US and UK consumer retail sites for four years, says teaming up with PayPal will facilitate payments through the internet and on mobile and "improves the shopping experience" for African consumers.

"We are thrilled to collaborate with PayPal, one of the world's most popular online payment solutions," says Chris Folayan, chief executive officer and founder of MallforAfrica.

The ecommerce partners refer to research, conducted by Ipsos on behalf of PayPal, which claims that 84% of online shoppers in Nigeria already shop online from outside of the country or expect to start doing so in the future.

Ipsos is said to have interviewed a representative quota sample of 500 adults (aged 18 - 55) in Nigeria who have used a PC, laptop, mobile or tablet to access the internet in the past six months and found that the number of online shoppers in the country is expected to skyrocket.

"This collaboration is key to unlocking the global marketplace for Nigerian consumers," according to Efi Dahan, regional director for Africa and Israel at PayPal.

He added that outcomes of the research impressed upon PayPay the importance of security and trust for customers when they decide to shop online. "By offering customers payment options that are secure, we can reassure buyers and encourage online shopping," added Dahan.

Dahan said the alliance with MFA has expanded into Ghana and Kenya recently, and the plan is to enter into 18 new countries in the next two years.