Broadband Infraco (BBI), the state-owned backhaul connectivity provider, has joined forces with ItakaneICT, to bring cashless money services to rural and disadvantaged communities.
The partnership, says BBI, is aimed at assisting government in its fight against the coronavirus (COVID-19).
BBI CEO Andrew Matseke further says the partnership will enable the deployment of payment platforms in rural communities, and will help in dispensing and transacting financially without using physical cash.
In a statement, BBI says as the lead agent for the deployment of SA Connect, it will leverage its infrastructure and backbone capability already deployed in the rural communities.
ItakaneICT, which describes itself as an ICT company that provides IT, consulting and telecommunications, will use its platforms as mini ATM devices to drive cashless money services for rural communities, it states.
“Broadband Infraco’s partnership with ItakaneICT will immediately make technology and services available to enable debit and credit card payments, SSD-ATM (self-service device − automated teller machine), pre-payments, which are also instrumental for social grant payments and spaza shop transactions.”
Matseke adds: “At BBI, we take pride in our social mandate and continuously look for ways where we can use technology to improve the lives of our citizens. We are concerned about the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic within our country and we believe this partnership will help to contain the movement of rural citizens who have to travel long distances in order to access and transact with cash.
“This strategic partnership also supports government’s call for citizens to shop for goods from their nearest shop. Broadband Infraco is privileged to be able to contribute to this solution, which it believes will help to significantly contain the spread of new COVID-19 infections.”
Nathan Mariemuthu, ItakaneICT CEO, concludes: “This is really a crucial partnership as it reaches to the disadvantaged communities and actively introduces solutions for activating the rural economy. We could not have chosen a better partner as we have known the importance of Broadband Infraco in providing connectivity and fintech solutions to the rural communities. This also speaks directly to our proposition as we are dependent on solid and cost-effective ICT infrastructure for our deployments.”
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