By: Francis F. M. Harding

Mobile money, simultaneously referred to as mobile payment, money transfer and mobile wallets generally refer to payment services operated under financial regulation and performed from or via a mobile device. Upon activation of the service on the SIM card, subscribers are able to deposit (cash in) and withdraw (cash out) as desired at agents’ cash points. Mobile money users are also able to send money directly from their phones to other customer. It was against this background that one of the leading telecommunication companies, Africell Sierra Leone introduced the Afrimoney cash transfer service in the country to enable its subscribers benefit from the most smart, safe and secure cash transfer service.

As the longest serving operator in Sierra Leone since 2005, Afrimoney through its parent brand Africell, Wednesday 17 August 2022, signed a partnership deal with Easy Solar, a reputable renewable energy company, with reliable and efficient service provision records across the country.

Afrimony is Africell SL’s mobile money service offered to subscribers everywhere the company’s network covers in the country. The cash transfer service-Afrimoney is a secure way to store, receive, transfer and manage cash in customer’s account linked to an Africell SL SIM card, just as the bank accounts operate. That is to say, subscribers can: transfer money domestically, pay bills, fees, buy goods and services, collect international remittances, and to receive monthly salaries. The benefits are: financial inclusion, secure personal Afrimoney pin code for transaction, convenient for money transfer, accessible to low income earners and link subscribers to their various bank accounts as it give them the convenience of having easy access to cash at any time, without going to the banks.

As for the renewable energy service provider, the operations of Easy Solar started in Sierra Leone 2016. It could be vividly recalled that in January 2016 Easy Solar conducted customer survey of 2,000 households, followed by 200 customers’ pilot in March of the same year.

Thereafter, Easy Solar moved swiftly into full-time customer based operations in August 2016, which grew from 200 over 100,000 from 2016 to 2019. The manufacturer Easy Solar strives to remain the best renewable energy products available to its customers. In Sierra Leone, it is estimated that more 87% of the seven plus million people live without electricity in the country’s rural communities.

The sun is by far the most abundant, renewable, and eco-friendly source of energy available. There are copious amounts of benefits involved when switching to solar, but since Earth Day is right around the corner, we wanted to celebrate by sharing how solar is a great way to go green. On cleaner air, electricity production is the cause of a large portion of the total carbon emissions in the world. Going solar dramatically cuts back on your household output of CO2 and greenhouse gas emissions. A modestly sized solar system can reduce the emission of these toxic gases. Just how much of a difference does one household going solar make. A household of just 2 people can reduce their carbon emissions by 3 to 4 tons each year on average by switching to a solar power system.

Solar energy is the best replacement versus older energy technology to fight climate change. Human behaviour has increasingly had negative impacts on the world around us. Burning fuels to produce energy let off chlorofluorocarbons that clog the atmosphere, we cut down trees that are what helps produce clean air we need to breathe, and that only scratches the surface on the damage we’re doing. The negative effects of these actions are evident, winter has increasingly grown shorter, glaciers are melting rapidly, and we can see in day to day life that we are not treating our planet how we should in order to maintain its health. It is better for public health we’ve covered why going green through going solar is good for individual households and the planet as a whole, but how does it fare for public health? Its impact is much bigger than you may first think. Solar panels help lower the amount of hazardous waste that many other forms of energy production cause.

Respiratory issues, cancers, and cardiovascular problems are all serious issues caused by common pollutants that older energy productions emit. Solar energy does not emit any pollutants. Less toxic output in an area leads to healthier residents and a healthier you. Cleaner air, less water usage, a healthier planet, and people. That is what solar energy is all about. It is against this background that the Easy Solar wants to be part of the industry that helps make such a massive impact on our world.

Calling the programme to order, Master of the Ceremony, Abdul Aziz Kamara who dubs as the Head of Events, Africell SL, warmly welcomed all at the Africell SL Boardroom, and informed that Africell SL is here to make Sierra Leoneans enjoys services that will make life easy for them, which is why Africell SL introduced the Afrimoney cash transfer service, adding that his company always work with partners with the same initiative, making sure their customers are also satisfy.

In her opening statement, the Marketing Supervisor Afrimoney, Theresa Jane Wright said Afrimoney is really excited to have Easy Solar, describing the new deal as amazing, and added that the work Easy Solar is the benefits of Sierra Leoneans. The Chief Commercial Officer and Co-Founder, Easy Solar, Madam Nlhabiseng Mosia, said access to energy is a human rights, noting that no man no woman or child should be without power. She recalled that since 2016 Easy Solar to light up lives, disclosing plans by the company to make renewable energy be accessible to all at an affordable cost.

“2022 Easy Solar has brought light to over one hundred and fifty households across Sierra Leone. Our products are on credit basis to be paid back in few months. Easy Solar starts with ten Leone per week as we are working from the smallest communities to hotels, bars, offices, residential beddings and we are not discriminating. The partnership is as important as we process millions of payments on our internal platforms, and we are excited to start a digitalization of Sierra Leone of all those tens of thousands of payments we process every month and we are excited to offer our customers the ability to pay through mobile money and that is why we are excited for the partnership with Afrimoney,” said Madam Mosia.

Head of Sales for Easy Solar, Horafilo Dove Pratt, said that from the telephone perspective it is easy and journey of pleasure to be in the telecommunication system to create a wider opportunity for Africell SL to ensure they tap into customers’ out there especially via Afrimoney.

“Easy Solar is embarking on large-scale distribution as we are in all sixteen districts in Sierra Leone. We are in one hundred fifty-five chiefdoms across the country. We have about 32 shops, countrywide. We have four hundred agents,” he revealed.

Pratt said the decentralization of Easy Solar services and products means if they have four hundred agents doing Afrimoney on a daily basis, remittances for Easy Solar, it is with no stress that the business will trickle across the nation. So this is a bigger opportunity for a win-win partnership for all. He added that Easy Solar has extended arms doing business with civil servants as of date, they have over ten thousand civil servants that are buying their products on credit scheme called, ‘pay roll reduction’ and they also have asset financial scheme linked with the banks that the customers can get the products from Easy Solar.

He said it creates a bigger podium for opportunity as they grow every single day and by the end of the year they are supposed to cover three hundred and sixty degree, meaning after every fifty meters there will be somebody who will be selling Easy Solar products.

Welcoming the Easy Solar delegation, the Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Africell SL, Joe Abass Bangura said that they are given out relevant service. He said that the world is faced with bush fire, drought, earth quart challenges, as the US is pouring billions of Dollars to find a solution to the problems, adding that Easy Solar will be having it cash from Afrimony anytime and anywhere customers pay from.

“This integration of their services through the Afrimoney platform, Easy Solar will characterise itself into every district and every chiefdom in Sierra Leone. The integration provides Easy Solar customers with easier, faster and safer products through Afrimoney at an affordable cost to access alternative energy solutions, through flexible financial options. The customers will able to get back 10% cash back payments they make to Afrimoney. Since 2014 Africell SL has been a trusted partner as they have been working with international partners providing them with financial inclusion in the country. Africell SL will continue to expand it network to have more Afrimoney so that the partnership will grow,” he said.

Joe Abass Bangura reaffirmed that Africell SL would continue to provide digitalization services to every knock and crannies of the country. He said that in advanced countries they are wiping out notes, because digital transactions are advanced and easier to solve problem, such as in Kono. That is why it is fast, safe and secure.”