The new countries to be covered in the expansion are: South Africa, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Mozambique, Swaziland and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
This was announced on Thursday October 27, during an event to launch a Vodacom M-Pesa campaign dubbed ‘Dunia Kijiji, Afrika ni M-Pesa’ which aims at promoting M-Pesa as the currency of transactions for Africa with all African countries able to send money to Vodacom M-Pesa.
Gracing the event in Dar es Salaam yesterday, the minister of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, Dr Stargomena Tax, exuded her delight on the fact that mobile money has become Africa’s leading digital payment platform connecting millions across the continent and facilitating international trade and remittances.
Through its IMT portfolio, Vodacom M-Pesa facilitates international remittances by connecting over 200 countries worldwide allowing Tanzanians to transact across borders.
“The entrant of mobile money in international remittance has not only improved ease of access but also reduced the cost of transfers bringing us closer to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 10). We applaud this growth in this space and commend Vodacom M-Pesa for paving the way,” said Dr Tax.
She applauded the Bank of Tanzania (BoT) for effectively regulating mobile money by working with telecom operators to ensure that international payments and remittances are done safely and securely. Sending to Sadc countries, she said, further testifies the enabling environment that the BoT was putting on top of enabling Tanzanians to receive remittances from across the World directly into their mobile wallets.
“This is financially connecting the diaspora to their families back home while international and inter-regional trade is made even easier with mobile money,” she said.
Speaking during the event, the M-Pesa director Epimack Mbeteni said the platform has leveraged on partnerships and innovation to grow its international money transfer portfolio.
It started in 2014 by connecting with Kenya, in 2019, it had expanded allowing M-Pesa customers to send money across East Africa and receive money from over 200 countries thus making a significant contribution on incoming money into the ecosystem and growth of M-Pesa. In September 2021, telecom added a new feature which enables Tanzanian customers to send remittances from M-Pesa to all bank accounts in Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda.
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Tanzania: Samia Hands Over NBC’s 354m/ – Crop Insurance Compensation to Farmers Affected By Hailstorms
President Samia Suluhu Hassan, has handed over a cheque of 354m/- from the National Bank of Commerce (NBC) as compensation to tobacco farmers, who were affected by hailstorms during the previous farming season in various regions across the country.
Handing over the cheque in Dodoma, the compensation is part of the crop insurance service provided by NBC in collaboration with the National Insurance Corporation (NIC).
Furthermore, President Samia has also handed over health insurance coverage to members of the Lindi Mwambao Cooperative Union based in Lindi Region, through the Farmers’ Health Insurance service provided by the bank in partnership with Assurance Insurance Company.
While visiting the bank’s pavilion at the Nanenane Agricultural Exhibition and being received and briefed by the bank’s Managing Director, Mr. Theobald Sabi, she said: “This crop insurance is one of the crucial solutions in ensuring farmers have a reliable income, without fear of challenges such as natural disasters, including hailstorms.
“I call upon all farmers in the country to make the best use of this important opportunity by accessing these kinds of insurance services. I also highly commend NBC and all the stakeholders participating in this programme.”
Elaborating further on the crop insurance service, the Minister of Agriculture, Hussein Bashe, stated that it will help to recover the loss farmers incurred, especially in various calamities beyond their control.
Citing them as floods, fires, and hailstorms, which have significantly affected the well-being of farmers and caused some to be reluctant to invest in the crucial sector, Mr Bashe added: “However, our President, this step by NBC is just the beginning, as this is the second year since they started offering this service, and the results are already visible.
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“As the government, we promise to continue supporting the wider implementation of this service, with the goal of ensuring that this crop insurance service reaches more farmers.”
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On his part, Mr Sabi said that the farmers who benefited from the compensations are from 23 primary cooperative unions in the regions of Shinyanga, Geita, Tabora, Mbeya, Katavi, and Kigoma.
He added: “In addition to these insurance services, as a bank, through this exhibition, we have continued with our programme of providing financial education and various banking opportunities to farmers, alongside offering them various loans, including loans for agricultural equipment, particularly tractors, to eligible farmers.:
At the NBC booth, President Samia also had the opportunity to be briefed on the various services offered by the bank to the farmers namely crop insurance and health insurance services.
There, the President had the chance to speak with some of the beneficiaries of the services, including the Vice-Chairman of the Lindi Mwambao Primary Cooperative Union, Mr. Hassan Mnumbe, whose union has been provided with a health insurance card from the bank.
Source: allafrica.com
