JOURNALISTS EXPERIENCE AIRTEL MONEY IN GHANA
Journalists from both the electronic and print media in Ghana have received hands-on knowledge of how the Airtel Money m-commerce service works. The Airtel Money Media experiential seminar, organized by Airtel Ghana,was an interactive session where journalists were taken through transactional processes for all the various products under Airtel Money.
The occasion was also used to showcase the Airtel Money mobile banking platform and ATM Cash-out; first in West Africa.
Other services experienced by participants were Airtime purchase service, cash-in, goods and services payment, micro finance daily contribution payment, cash-out service and money Transfer to Airtel Money customer and customers on other networks.
Aimed at offering customers with an efficient alternative to cash transactions, Airtel Money empowers its customers with access to a convenient, secure and readily available way of making payments through the ubiquitous mobile money platform. The Airtel Money service is also expected to provide theunbanked in Ghana with access to banking services for the first time.
Airtel is already in partnership with leading international and regional banks including Zenith Bank, United Bank of Africa, Ecobank, Standard Chartered Bank and other corporate institutions notably Databank, DSTV and Gesroto to provide customers with more convenient ways of paying bills, contributing to investments, making deposits and withdrawals. Other banks and service providers including GT Bank, UT Bank, Unibank, Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), Marxmart, Koala and Melcom are in the process of piloting the Airtel Money service.
There are also more than one thousand three hundred (1300) Airtel Money dealers, and over hundred (100) branches of partners banks ensuring the widest availability of Airtel Money throughout Ghana.
Sales Director at Airtel Ghana, Luck Ochieng,explained that Airtel aimed to deliver relevant and innovative mobile solutions to help customers overcome their daily challenges, stating that the company was once again offering Ghanaians the tools to feel free and improve their lives. “Our goal is to make communications, banking, payments, retail and infotainment affordable and accessible to all in Africa”, he stated.
He added that Airtel Ghana was also aiming towards creating safety by initiating a “cashless society”, where Airtel Money will be used to make direct purchases instead of the actual exchange of real money from one source to another.”
Kola Sonola, m-Commerce Director at Airtel Ghana, who took the journalists through the transactional mechanics explained that Airtel Money, which previously was mainly a mobile money platform, had fully evolved into an m?Commerce network, offering four major services, namely Service Payments, Money Transfer, Mobile Banking and Mobile Top Up. Customers, according to him, could pay their utility bills, DSTV subscription fees, buy Airtel credit, pay for goods, servicesand loans through Airtel Money as well as make corporate bulk paymentsand deposit or withdraw cash from a bank.
“Airtel money provides customers with a “mobile wallet” which allows them to use their mobile phones in much the same way as a bank debit card to transact with virtual money. It provides customers with increased security and flexibility, reducing the need to carry cash and ensuring prompt payments of bills, goods and services”, he stated.
Kola Sonola added, “The uniqueness of Airtel Money allows customers on other networks to also enjoy the benefits.”
