ATM cards on display
Amaka Eze
Following the successful completion of its Command and Control Centre in Abuja, One Network said it set to commence mobile money service in Nigeria.
One Network is an industry-focused organisation, recognised by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as agent manager, providing agent locations for mobile money operators across the country.
The Command and Control Centre is the platform from where One Network will map out locations in every region and successfully monitor it.
The Programme Director, One Network, Mr. Sola Bickersteth, told THISDAY on Tuesday that the Command and Control Centre will be connected to the locations through a Closed User Group for real time customer support.
He said: “With One Network’s Command and Control Centre, which will be used to create a database of all post offices, Micro Finance Banks, and other agent centres across the country, members of the public will be able to easily locate and confirm the authenticity of bonafide centres before transacting business.”
He added that the activated 900 Micro Finance Banks (MFB) alongside 3,500 post offices and postal agents nationwide will serve as supervising organisations and officers for the neighbourhood agents.
According to him, with the activation of over 900 qualified MFBs and 3,500 Post Offices and postal agents nationwide as supervising organisations of neighbourhood agents, there will be a huge penetration of Mobile money services.
“The MFB need only contact their existing partners who are interested to serve as agents, while the Post Offices and other supervising officers can have interested agents apply through them in the coming weeks,” he said.
Bickersteth further explained that the agents will serve as human banks handling cash-in and cash-out for mobile money customers.
The essence, he added, was to bridge the agency network gap militating against mobile money penetration in the country.
He said: “With the MFBs on the One Network technology platform, Bickersteth said there was the opportunity for up to an estimated 160,000 neighbourhood businesses springing up across the country.”
The One Network Boss said the technology platform was also being aligned with the new national identity system to help provide a reliable biometric database of qualified location owners, their employees and potential customers.
This, he added, would ensure a high level of the security of transactions comparable to what currently obtains inside banking halls.