Kenya-based Safaricom struck a partnership with Alibaba Group to allow its customers to make online purchases on the AliExpress platform through mobile money service m-Pesa.

In a statement, Safaricom said the move specifically targets traders in Kenya which source goods and other supplies from Chinese manufacturers, while also signifying the operator’s drive to “position m-Pesa as a truly global mobile money transfer and payments platform”. Safaricom has been on a drive to boost its payments platform and already has agreements with payments companies Western Union and Paypal.

Through the partnership, Kenyans will be able to use m-Pesa as a payment option when shopping on AliExpress.com, a global e-commerce platform. Once customers select m-Pesa, they then can key in their mobile numbers, and use their PIN to complete a transaction.

Chief customer officer at Safaricom, Sylvia Mulinge, said more than 21 million customers will now be able to use m-Pesa on the AliExpress platform.

“This partnership seeks to connect Kenyans to more business opportunities by enabling them to seamlessly source, purchase and import goods from the world’s leading manufacturers,” she said.

The service is already live on the AliExpress app, and will be available on its website in the coming weeks.