As part of Uganda Telecom’s initiative to serve the unbanked rural populations, Uganda Telecom together with Uganda Coffee Farmers Association (UCFA) have today announced an exclusive joint partnership agreement where in which Coffee Farmers will make digital financial transactions using Uganda Telecom’s Msente platform to facilitate deposits, withdrawals, transfers and savings for small-holder coffee farmers.
Speaking at the launch of the partnership in Luweero, Sarah Kiyingi -Kaweesa, Uganda Telecom’s Group Chief Government, Corporate, and CSR Liaison Officer said, the partnership is aimed at providing digital financial services to the rural populations in Uganda and by so doing foster development.
“As a proudly Ugandan brand, we are offering customer friendly and cost effective Msente - Mobile Money Services. On conception of this partnership, we realized that a number of businesses in rural areas are financially excluded as many financial service provider are urban based. Our Msente platform comes handy to help provide a network independent mobile financial service for both business and ordinary people,” Sarah said.
At the same event, Uganda Telecom donated a Computer to Busana Coffee Growers Company Limited to facilitate the Msente bulk payments and collections facility.
Mr Tony Mugoya, the Executive Manager of UCFA, while receiving the computer on behalf of Busana Coffee Growers Company Limited, thank Uganda Telecom for taking the lead in providing the Msente digital financial service to the Coffee Farmers and rural people as they are the backbone of the country’s agriculture.
In July 2014, Uganda Telecom partnered with the Consortium for Enhancing University Responsiveness to Agribusiness Development (CURAD) to facilitate the customization of the Msente Mobile Money service to address the financial services needs of the Agribusiness sector through the provision innovative but affordable digital financial services.
“This is not the only Agribusiness that we will be facilitating. We have and shall continue to reach out to other rural businesses and communities, particularly those that are operating in the agricultural sector,” Mr. Peter Kakaire – Head of Msente Mobile Money at Uganda Telecom added
