GAWFA CEO, Dr Oley Njie-Mbye |
The Gambia Women Finance
Association has introduced mobile banking system geared towards making mobile
money transactions both easier and more available to its clients most of whom
live in remote rural areas without access to traditional brick-and-mortar
financial institutions.
The project, funded by the
Spanish Cooperation Agency, an international agency fighting against poverty
around the world, will reduce costs for Gawfa and increase customer
convenience.
The 18-month project, approved
by the funders in March this year, will help Gawfa’s clients to have improved
access to Gawfa-offered financial services by allowing them to access their account
with ease and comfort at the place they (the clients) want it.
With this project, Gawfa
uses technology to overcome the barriers of geography and low population
density to deliver financial services at low cost across the country.
The representative of the , Alfredo Gadea, says the project will enhance Gawfa operations at a
reduced cost, as Gawfa agents will get to the clients with the mobile device
and help them to conduct transactions on their accounts.
“Gawfa agents will have all
the information of the clients in the mobile device but transaction can only be
effected with the finger print of the clients,” he explained.
At the end of the project,
Gawfa will have its own fully operational mobile banking system running that
will improve their efficiency and effectiveness at a lower cost, Mr Gadea said.
Antoni Lopez Burruezo,
technical manager of Towerplane Advanced Projects, a Spanish company that
focuses on real time communication and system management, which will also be in
charge of the technological aspect of the mobile banking project, said with
this project, all the agents of Gawfa will be connected to a central system
that will enable them to have access to information updated on at real
time.
“We will be using Android
application for the mobile agents in the field to connect to the internet using
the handset with our applications so that they can access the system online and
the central management will have all the information updated real time from all
the agents in the field. This will optimize resources for Gawfa so that they
can monitor, update instructions, and also have full control of all the
movement of money.
In her statement, Gawfa’s Chief
Executive Officer Oley Njie-Mbye said the project will help to reduce fraud, and
strengthen the control mechanism of Gawfa, which is one of the challenges the
finance institution is grappling with.
“With this technology, our
productivity will be increased and also it will strengthen our financial management
system thus ensure that our funds are in proper control hence reduce fraud,” Dr
Mbye said.
The project “will boost
staff morale and client confidence” because the mobile device works similarly
like the biometric in the sense that the clients will have their fingerprint on
the device before any transaction can take place on their account.
The security of the system
is guaranteed and assured, according to the Gawfa boss, who also said the
project will help the institution to grow to reach its mission of offering innovative financial services that
contributes to lasting economic and social benefits for low-income Gambian
women and their families.
The project is in line with
Gawfa’s slogan, which says: “You don’t have to go to the river; the river will
come to you.” It is believed the project
will help clients to be in control of their accounts with ease and comfort and
at their own convenient time and place, because the agents will be going out to
the clients with the mobile device to help clients to effect transactions on
their account. SOURCE GAMBIA NEWS ONLINE
No comments:
Post a Comment