PRETORIA, August 18. /TASS/. A group of African countries is exploring options of launching Russia’s Mir payment system on their territories, an employee of one of the South African banks told TASS.

According to the source, who was aware of the relevant consultations, this group includes Ethiopia, Tanzania, South Africa and Nigeria. The source noted that these countries are either interested in attracting tourists from Russia or have large bilateral economic projects.

"It is still too early to name specific dates for the possible start of the Mir card’s operation in certain countries of sub-Saharan Africa," the source said.

The first step towards the introduction of the Russian payment card in the African countries could be the launch of the Mir co-badged card - UnionPay, the representative of the South African banking sector said. To date, such cards are not valid in South Africa, although the entire infrastructure for them is in place. If an appropriate decision is made, this type of Mir card will become operational in South Africa immediately.