Volta River Authority Streamlines Subsidiary Payments with Unified API Platform on Azure
Customer
Volta River Authority
Region
Ghana
Partner
Cloudware Africa
Solution
Unified API-based payment platform with secure cloud architecture and AI-accelerated development
Business Problem
Fragmented payment systems caused high costs, long onboarding times, and operational inefficiencies
Business Problem
The Volta River Authority (VRA), Ghana’s leading power generation and distribution authority, operated multiple subsidiary payment platforms, each with its own APIs and authentication methods. This fragmented landscape created serious bottlenecks and this complexity strained operations and slowed partner onboarding, threatening VRA’s ability to scale and provide seamless service across its network.
Key Issues
- Partners had to manage multiple API connections and IP addresses
- Integration time stretched to 3–4 weeks per partner
- High maintenance overhead and security inconsistencies
- Cost inefficiencies and limited scalability
- Inconsistent user experience across subsidiaries
Solution Deployed
To eliminate these inefficiencies, Reliance Infosystems deployed a unified, Azure-based payment integration platform, enabling VRA to consolidate all payment APIs behind a secure, centralized entry point, using the following technologies and platforms:
Technologies and Platforms Used
- Azure App Service
- Azure Front Door
- Azure DevOps Pipelines
- Azure Monitor
- GitHub Copilot
- GitHub Code Scanning
- Azure Key Vault, Azure Defender, DDoS Protection
Architecture Highlights
This modern, cloud-native solution empowers internal teams and partners to integrate faster, collaborate securely, and scale with confidence.
- Hosting via Azure App Service, with observability powered by Azure Monitor & Application Insights
- Security-first architecture with GitHub Code Scanning and Azure Key Vault for credential protection
- DevOps efficiency with Azure Pipelines and GitHub Copilot for rapid, secure development
- One secure API endpoint across all subsidiaries
- Web Application Firewall (WAF) and DDoS mitigation via Azure Front Door
Reliance Differentiation
- Delivered zero-downtime migration from fragmented platforms to a unified API
- Accelerated development through GitHub Copilot and DevOps automation
- Integrated secure design with Microsoft cloud-native security tools
- Translated complex infrastructure into a simplified, centralized model
Business and Community Impact
Commercial Impact
- 50% reduction in partner onboarding time
- 40% decrease in operational overhead
- 25% drop in integration costs for partners
- 30% improvement in system reliability
- Enhanced user and partner satisfaction across all subsidiaries
Community and Societal Impact
- Faster service delivery to consumers
- Greater accessibility to digital payment infrastructure
- Scalable solution to support regional economic growth
Engagement with Microsoft
Microsoft played a pivotal role through technical and enablement support:
Innovate PL Developer Productivity Deployment accelerated code development using GitHub Copilot
Partner Technical Architects (PTAs): Provided architectural reviews, security guidance, and governance best practices
Microsoft Learn: Upskilled internal teams on secure cloud development and integration patterns
A Scalable Model for Operational Excellence
The VRA engagement demonstrates how strategic modernization delivers more than efficiency; it fuels transformation. With a single API interface now powering its payment ecosystem, VRA is positioned to onboard partners faster, reduce operational costs, and maintain the high reliability needed in the energy and utilities space.
This success reflects Reliance Infosystems’ ability to design secure, cloud-first solutions that streamline critical business processes and unlock scalable innovation.
Customer Reference
“This project is more than a technical upgrade — it’s a leap forward in operational excellence and stakeholder collaboration. We’ve halved onboarding times, cut integration costs, and streamlined payment operations across all our subsidiaries.”
— Mr. Yaw Fosu Opoku,
IT Infrastructure Lead, Volta River Authority