Nigeria:FirstBank empower 3,000 youths as MobileMoneyAgents

DEC 31,2013.

WORLDSTAGE.

In a bid to promote entrepreneurial development and skill acquisition in Nigeria, First Bank of Nigeria Ltd. through its mobile payment solution FirstMonie has successfully empowered 3,000 youths of the Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme (OYES) as FirstMonie agents.

The partnership planned as one of the initiatives for curbing unemployment and youth insurgency across the state will amply equip both past and present cadets with sound business acumen, customer service skills and financial management.. As a FirstMonie agent, the OYES cadets will be required to educate customers on the steps required to log on to the FirstMonie platform, ensures business location remains open for rendering of Firstmonie Services during normal business hours on all business days as well as maintain sufficient cash and e-money float balances for customers enquiries and need. With the Firstmonie service, which operates a simplified process that requires customer name and mobile telephone number, agents can assist subscribers to perform mobile money account opening, cash deposits and withdrawals, and bills payments among others from their mobile phones.

According to the Head, Marketing & Corporate Communications, FirstBank, Mrs. Folake Ani-Mumuney, with the OYES and FirstMonie partnership, we aim to drive financial inclusion as well as wealth creation by providing opportunities for youths of Osun State to serve as merchants and agents instrumental to deepening financial inclusion campaign through agency banking while leveraging on the FirstBank brand and wide network of branches through its mobile money solution, FirstMonie.  FirstBank aims to leverage the widely accepted mobile technology to serve Nigerians with the most innovative financial services by providing banking services to the large segment of the unbanked . “FirstMonie is available to the general public and is initiated by dialing *894# on MTN, Airtel, Glo and Etisalat lines or visiting https://www.firstmonie.com/iweb.and following the prompts,” she added.

It would be recalled that the Bank upgraded its FirstMonie App to facilitate faster access to the Firstmonie account directly from subscribers’ handheld devices. The App was upgraded to include mobile banking features that will enable FirstBank account holders access and transact directly from their accounts. FirstMonie app can be downloaded on to various mobile devices include iPhone, iPad, Android, Blackberry and all Java enabled phones.