What is 'Bankleitzahlen Afrika' and how to access African bank codes via API

If you have landed here from a German-language search, you already know the term. If not:Bankleitzahlen is the German word for bank routing numbers or sort codes.Bankleitzahlen Afrika — African bank codes — is the query European fintech developers and compliance teams use when they need African bank routing data for international payment flows, SWIFT lookups, or regulatory due diligence.

This article explains what African bank codes are, how they map to the German BLZ concept, and how to access them via API.

Was ist "Bankleitzahlen Afrika"?

In Germany, a Bankleitzahl (BLZ) is an 8-digit code that identifies a bank for domestic transfers. The equivalent in Nigeria is the NIBSS sort code (3–6 digits). In Kenya it is the bank sort code. In South Africa it is the branch code. Each country has its own system, but they all serve the same purpose: routing money to the correct institution.

Accessing African bank codes via API

The Mansa API identity suite provides a single endpoint that returns bank codes, SWIFT/BIC codes, and USSD shortcodes for 75+ institutions across 8 African countries.

curl https://mansaapi.com/api/v1/identity/banks \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

# Nigeria
curl "https://mansaapi.com/api/v1/identity/banks?country=NG" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

# Kenya
curl "https://mansaapi.com/api/v1/identity/banks?country=KE" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

# South Africa
curl "https://mansaapi.com/api/v1/identity/banks?country=ZA" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

SWIFT codes for African banks

For international wire transfers — the context in which European developers most often need African bank codes — the relevant identifier is the SWIFT/BIC code, not the domestic sort code. The Mansa API returns both in the same response.

{
  "name": "Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank)",
  "code": "058",
  "swift_code": "GTBINGLA",
  "country": "NG",
  "ussd": "*737#"
}