* Through enterprise payments platform (EPP); a secure, efficient, safe and cost-effective solution for collections and bulk payments
* EPP is transforming humanitarian aid disbursements in remote areas across Africa, including Malawi
* Accountability is key in ensuring that the timely distribution of funds is met to allow families to recover quickly and address their basic needs
By Mthokosizi Dube
Top regional financial services provider, Mukuru has teamed up with faith-based not-for-profit organisation, Catholic Development Commission in Malawi (CADECOM) to ensure the seamless delivery of aid to 4,520 households in underserved communities affected by the devastating cyclone.
Chiyembekezo Ken Ndala, Mukuru’s enterprise sales manager for Malawi, explained that the CADECOM national office had entrusted the Mukuru enterprise payments platform (EPP) to address the challenges associated with aid disbursements, payroll and commercial transactions in underserved communities.
“CADECOM is one of our key partners for EPP, and we work with the national office and other offices within the country,” Ndala said in an interview. “We have good relations which we have built in the past.
“Accountability is key in ensuring that the timely distribution of funds is met to allow families to recover quickly and address their basic needs.”
Chiyembekezo Ken Ndala
Ndala highlighted that EPP, a secure, efficient, safe and cost-effective solution for collections and bulk payments, is transforming humanitarian aid disbursements in remote areas across Africa, including Malawi.
He stressed that the Mukuru EPP distribution of funds partnership with CADECOM targets key districts across Malawi, which include Chikwawa (700 households), Blantyre (607), Dedza (385), Karonga (607), Lilongwe (607), Mzuzu (400), Mangochi (607) and Zomba (607).
To continue their work in vulnerable communities, the two organisations will this month begin a new humanitarian aid project this month and for the next three months, they will disburse MK100,000 to 17,500 beneficiaries in Phalombe (11,500), Thyolo (3,500), and Chiradzulu (2,500).
“That means Mukuru will be distributing MK875 million (US$460,526) monthly on behalf of CADECOM,” Ndala said.
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Besides CADECOM, the Mukuru EPP platform also entered into extended long-term agreements with major United Nations agencies, such as UNICEF and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) to provide a reliable and traceable method of grant distribution across Malawi.
“This underscores the EPP’s capability and reliability in delivering essential financial services across Africa,” Ndala said. “Under these agreements, Mukuru has also facilitated payments to beneficiaries under emergency social cash transfer programming in Zimbabwe, alongside providing payroll services and payments to vendors and workshop participants.
Michael Scott, Mukuru’s head of commercial & strategic partnerships, added that strategic collaborations with United Nations agencies, including the World Food Programme, WHO, UNICEF and IOM, are significantly impacting the evolution of the financial services industry.
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