South Sudan's English Daily Newspaper
"We Dare where others fear"
By Simon Deng
The Chief Executive Officer of MTN Fintech Services, Francis Matseketsa, urged the public on Tuesday to embrace digital transactions despite cash shortages at MoMo agent outlets.
“Following the public outcry regarding the inability of some MoMo customers to withdraw cash from certain MoMo agents, we want to assure the public that we are collaborating with relevant stakeholders to explore solutions,” Matseketsa stated during a press conference in Juba on Tuesday.
“The public should embrace cashless transactions.We encourage everyone to adopt digital payments by using MoMo to pay for goods and services at their nearest retail outlet that accepts MoMo. We also urge all retail outlets, merchants, and wholesalers to accept MoMo as a payment method,” he added.
Matseketsa explained that MoMo was initiated to reduce cash transactions, aligning with government efforts to promote electronic payments over cash. He cited empirical research that shows the adoption of digital payments accelerates economic development, emphasizing the need for the public to minimize cash usage and adopt MoMo as a digital payment solution.
“While the Republic of South Sudan is still in the early stages of adopting digital payments, we urge the public to patiently embrace cashless transactions as we work towards financial inclusion for underserved communities,” he said.
Matseketsa noted that MTN MoMo has been collaborating closely with banks and other partners to create interoperable digital payment solutions that are convenient for the public, and significant progress has been made to date.
He highlighted several MoMo products and services that customers can adopt immediately to reduce cash usage, including sending money to friends and relatives within South Sudan, sending money to Uganda or Kenya (international remittances), purchasing airtime and data bundles, buying groceries from merchants or retailers, and paying school fees, as well as bills at restaurants, bars, salons, pharmacies, and many other retail outlets.
Matseketsa also revealed that bank customers can transfer money between their bank accounts and their MoMo wallets, allowing them to spend money using the aforementioned options without needing to withdraw cash. Additionally, they can receive funds in their MoMo wallets from Kenya, Uganda, Australia, and Tanzania.
“We assure the public that MTN MoMo is here to provide convenient digital payment solutions as part of the national agenda to drive financial inclusion. Creating a cashless society is a journey that cannot be completed overnight. We believe that this journey has begun, and we all need to embrace it for it to be successful in the shortest time possible.”
