Social Welfare Payments Now Available Via M-Paisa
Social welfare pensioner, Karolina Bualau, has welcomed the timely partnership.
She said that this move by Government and Vodafone will save her and many others a lot of time.
Ms Bualau is a vendor at the Suva Municipal Market.
She said the assistance from social welfare managed to put her child to law school, who is now in her second year at the Fiji National University.
The 70-year-old said the burden of queuing at the bank would be a worry of the past now.
“I’m thankful that the elderly are looked after in such a way, we have been anticipating such initiatives,” Ms Bualau said.
“I have M-PAiSA, and I certainly see this as a benefit for us pensioners.
“Sometimes when we can spend two hours lining up, just to be notified that our assistance has not come.
“Now I will register my number with the ministry so I can just check from my M-PAiSa account.”
Social welfare beneficiaries who may be interested in the platform can contact the ministry or call Vodafone customer care who will be able to assist in the signup process. Social welfare pensioners can now receive their monthly payments via M-PAiSA. This is after the Ministry of Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation entered into a partnership agreement that opens up Vodafone’s M-PAiSA platform.
In welcoming the initiative, line minister Rosy Akbar said the partnership allowed her ministry to execute its task more effectively.
This follows Government’s use of the M-PAiSA platform to process the COVID-Cash assistance directly on beneficiaries’ mobile phones all over the country during the lockdown.
“By entering into this partnership with Vodafone, our ministry is opening up the M-PAiSA option for interested social welfare beneficiaries to receive their monthly payment directly onto their mobile phones.”
Head of Vodafone eCommerce and Digital Financial Services, Shailendra Prasad, said they will continue to work with the Government as part of its greater digital and financial inclusion drive to make government services more accessible and less challenging for the public.
Feedback: jone.salusalu@fijisun.com.fj
