By Osman Kargbo

Afrimoney, the financial service provider of Africell Sierra Leone GSM company, has teamed up with Skye Bank Sierra Lone Limited to provide real time financial service to the people of Sierra Leone.

The partnership was sealed at a ceremony held on Wednesday 31 August 2022 at the Skye Bank Boardroom in Freetown.

Afrimoney, a veritable financial provider to people at every stratum of society, has neatly integrated its ease-of-life financial service with that of Skye Bank Limited, a reputable financial intermediary in Sierra Leone, to ensure that the people of Sierra Leone enjoy the reigning modern means of financial transaction through digital means.

Dubbed ‘PUT n PULL’, the service would allow subscribers/customers to both Afrimoney and Skye Bank deposit or send in money even at minimal rates into their accounts and also withdraw, take or receive money from their accounts in real time with ease, comfort, safety and rapidity.

“We are very grateful for this partnership,” Skye Bank’s Managing Director Abiola Bolaji said while sealing the partnership for the service also mirrored as ‘Bank to Wallet, Wallet to Bank’.

He said the partnership is a good deal particularly to people in the provinces and other remote communities who would now find it much easier to receive and send money from wherever they find themselves.

About Skye Bank, he said: “Skye Bank has five branches at the moment: four in Freetown and one in Bo, adding that their goal is to reach out to the 7 to 8 million people of Sierra Leone to be financially included or increase the paltry 12.4% people that presently have bank accounts in Sierra Leone.

Since about 2.6 million people are so far internet users in Sierra Leone, implementing and accelerating the use of financial transaction through digital means would suffice and be of veritable service to the people, MD Bolaji said.

“We need to get more people to bank and have accounts,” he added, saying: “We will support Afrimoney to get more customers. In about two months we are going to have mobile banking. We also are going to deploy ATMS across our banks in the next one month. Presently we have a solid partnership with MasterCard. We also have Agency Banking.”

Skye Bank’s Executive Director Akinremi Akinwale and Digital Banking Head Lanre Agbetu both expressed the mutual benefits of the partnership between the two financial service providers as well as for the subscribers and customers of both companies.

In his remarks on the occasion, Afrimoney’s Director Martison Obeng-Agyei said: “We are also excited to have this partnership. And what we want to ensure more is: What we give and what we get from both partners.” He added:  “After this partnership today Skye Bank are going to have 6,000 subscribers and more.”

He said people or subscribers to both companies would gain a lot from the service as they continue to use the facility. He also said the service provides opportunity for people to save and withdraw even very little amounts of money from their accounts without being ashamed of doing so since the transaction is done through digital means.

“We are in every nook and cranny of this country to serve the people – we are available 24 hours a day,” Mr Obeng-Agyei said. “We promise you our dedication and support always.”

Africell’s Chief Corporate Affairs Joe Abass Bangura said financial transaction via phone and digital means is the order of the day hence all should strive to ensure they embrace the modern trend, which makes life easy and comfortable.

“This partnership will be beneficial to Sierra Leone as a country. This is just the beginning and the sky is not the limit but indeed a stepping stone,” Africell’s head of events, Abdul Aziz Kamara, who moderated the ceremony, said.