Dar es Salaam.
Nala, a Tanzanian fintech startup, and Vodacom’s M-Pesa yesterday announced a partnership that would expand its International Money Transfer (IMT) services to the European Union (EU).
Nala has expanded in Europe by adding 19 new Eurozone nations to its list of send markets after expanding from the UK to the US earlier this year.
The move is in line with Nala’s vision of connecting Africans globally by enabling members of the diaspora across Europe to send money to Tanzania and other African countries.
“Together with Vodacom’s M-Pesa, the expansion has the potential to have a substantial impact by giving better and cheaper options for sending money home,” the companies said in a joint statement yesterday.
Nala’s recent expansion and historic partnership with Vodacom M-Pesa help advance the positive impact of both companies on African payment infrastructure.
Despite the numerous possibilities for sending money to Africa from overseas, the continent remains the most expensive, hampered by hidden fees that make it difficult to determine the actual cost of the service.
Nala’s founder and chief executive officer Benjamin Fernandes said the partnership will bridge the gap in payments from the UK, US and EU to Tanzania, by connecting to the global infrastructure.
“As a Tanzanian, it brings me great pleasure to be able to reach the quarter of African migrants living in Europe with affordable and reliable payments,” he said.
For his part, Vodacom director of M-Commerce, Epimack Mbeteni, lauded the partnership, adding that it aligns well with the company’s plans to grow its international mobile money transfer portfolio.
Vodacom M-Pesa customers can send and receive money from over 200 countries across the world directly into their M-Pesa wallets.
“We have leveraged on innovation and partnership to facilitate international money transfers across Africa and the world making remittance easy and facilitating cross-border trade. We continue to broaden our portfolio of partnerships and countries and we are glad to partner with Nala, a homegrown start-up that is transforming money transfers worldwide,” he said.
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Dodoma — Tanzania today confirmed an outbreak of Marburg virus disease in the northwestern Kagera region after one case tested positive for the virus following investigations and laboratory analysis of suspected cases of the disease.
President of the Republic of Tanzania, Her Excellency Samia Suluhu Hassan, made the announcement during a press briefing alongside World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, in the country’s administrative capital Dodoma.
“Laboratory tests conducted in Kabaile Mobile Laboratory in Kagera and later confirmed in Dar es Salaam identified one patient as being infected with the Marburg virus. Fortunately, the remaining suspected patients tested negative,” the president said. “We have demonstrated in the past our ability to contain a similar outbreak and are determined to do the same this time around.”
A total of 25 suspected cases have been reported as of 20 January 2025, all of whom have tested negative and are currently under close follow-up, the president said. The cases have been reported in Biharamulo and Muleba districts in Kagera.
“We have resolved to reassure the general public in Tanzania and the international community as a whole of our collective determination to address the global health challenges, including the Marburg virus disease,” said H.E President Hassan.
WHO is supporting Tanzanian health authorities to enhance key outbreak control measures including disease surveillance, testing, treatment, infection prevention and control, case management, as well as increasing public awareness among communities to prevent further spread of the virus.
“WHO, working with its partners, is committed to supporting the government of Tanzania to bring the outbreak under control as soon as possible, and to build a healthier, safer, fairer future for all the people of Tanzania,” said Dr Tedros. “Now is a time for collaboration, and commitment, to protecting the health of all people in Tanzania, and the region, from the risks posed by this disease.”
Marburg virus disease is highly virulent and causes haemorrhagic fever. It belongs to the same family as the virus that causes Ebola virus disease. Illness caused by Marburg virus begins abruptly. Patients present with high fever, severe headache and severe malaise. They may develop severe haemorrhagic symptoms within seven days.
“The declaration by the president and the measures being taken by the government are crucial in addressing the threat of this disease at the local and national levels as well as preventing potential cross-border spread,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa. “Our priority is to support the government to rapidly scale up measures to effectively respond to this outbreak and safeguard the health of the population,”
Tanzania previously reported an outbreak of Marburg in March 2023 – the country’s first – in Kagera region, in which a total of nine cases (eight confirmed and one probable) and six deaths were reported, with a case fatality ratio of 67%.
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In the African region, previous outbreaks and sporadic cases have been reported in Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Equatorial Guinea, Rwanda, South Africa and Uganda.
Marburg virus is transmitted to people from fruit bats and spreads among humans through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected people, surfaces and materials. Although several promising candidate medical countermeasures are currently undergoing clinical trials, there is no licensed treatment or vaccine for effective management or prevention of Marburg virus disease. However, early access to treatment and supportive care – rehydration with oral or intravenous fluids – and treatment of specific symptoms, improve survival.
Source: allafrica.com
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