I am excited to share with you that GiveCare has partnered with SpacePointe to launch its mobile application (Pointe Pay and Pointe Mart) as part of GiveCare’s integrated entrepreneurial development program. Over the last few weeks, rural entrepreneurs in Imala received training on how to use mobile technology to manage their inventory, keep accounting and as a mobile payment system (MPOS), using their mobile phones. The mobile application is voice activated in the local language, such that entrepreneurs with low literacy level can use it. GiveCare also provided customized debit cards to beneficiaries through its partnership with established banks in Nigeria. Business owners can now load the funds they need on their debit cards. This is an important mile stone for the community, because in Imala there are no banks. The banks and ATMs are concentrated in the local government headquarters, which is about an hour away. Most of the lending is done by cooperative societies and local saving groups called Esusu. Beyond lending money and receiving contributions for savings, these groups do not have the capacity to provide training and support services for local entrepreneurs. Imala therefore has operated as a cash based community, which made local entrepreneurs susceptible to loss of funds through theft or misplacement, temptation to spend on unplanned needs, and high cost of transportation, due to frequent long distance trips to ATMs and banks. However, with the debit card and new mobile application, entrepreneurs are now able to do cashless transactions in the community.
For more information on what GiveCare is doing and how you can participate, please visit www.givecareinitiative.org
This is a worthwhile development. I hope other communities can embrace it. Government should also leverage it for bottom up accelerated economic development.
Jide, thank you for your comment. This is our hope in GiveCare as well – bottom up accelerated economic development in Nigeria.
Wow! This ia awesome. A very good inititive. Great for our country and others to emulate.
This is very innovative. It is important for us to harness technology for the furtherance of our day to day activities. This will go a long way in helping individuals to fulfil their dreams and to live up to their fullest potential.
The initiative, while laudable, sparks a few thoughts…
1. Managing inventory and accounting can be achieved locally on a handheld device. But when it comes to making and receiving payments, as one of the feature functionally of the mobile app, it appears there may be a need for internet service on that device. And if that is the case, would local entrepreneurs be trained on a basics of obtaining and manintaining data service on their mobile phones? I am sure costs associated with data requirements for making and receiving payments may need to be addressed as well.
An alternate approach, which may prove to be more feasible is using GSM-based codes to make and receive such payments.
Moreover, it would be exciting document the impact of this initiative in local small business for continuous improvement and replication.
Dear Kevin,
Thank you for your response. Although many more people than we imagine know about obtaining and maintaining data service on mobile phones. I hear users even in the villages talk about not playing a certain video at a particular time, because it would take up their data, which they were reserving for a more important activity. Regardless, we will train local entrepreneurs the basics of obtaining and maintaining data service on their mobile phones.
As for costs associated with data requirements for making and receiving payments, this mobile application works off-line. The only time data is required is when all the information inputed needs to be synchronized. this can be done once at the close of the business day, which takes about a minute or two.
I absolutely agree that it would be exciting to document the impact of this initiative in local small businesses for continuous improvement and replication. This is a critical function and very important benefit of this mobile application.