10 Apr 2022

Stanbic Bank Botswana has vowed to deliver payment of the Ipelegeng workers on time through its new Unayo digital account.

The newly launched Unayo account, according to Stanbic Bank acting CEO, Mr Christopher Gwere is an easy self-sign electronic funds transfer with access to easy cash-in and cash-out from one’s account.

Stanbic Bank will provide facilities for the payment of wages at all its automated teller machines and participating Unayo merchants, which included street vendors and general dealers, through the bank’s network across the 25 Francistown wards.

Speaking during contract signing between Francistown Town City Council and Stanbic Bank in Francistown Thursday, Mr Gwere said though Ipelegeng was not a permanent job, its beneficiaries needed to be accorded dignity.

“We commit to deliver in the mandate we have been given and we promise to fulfil the mandate,” said Mr Gwere,

He explained that the transition would make banking convenient for beneficiaries with all the advantages it carried.

Mr Gwere said the contract was more than a simple business agreement, but another step towards driving Botswana’s growth.

“The responsibility to support people into financial empowerment and prosperity drives us to jump out of bed to go to work every morning.”

He said the Ipelegeng scheme, whose history dated some 14 years ago, was born out of a desire to serve as a poverty alleviation instrument in the country’s urban and rural areas.

Mr Gwere said with Ipelegeng workers spread across the country, and Francistown’s share being 2 300, ‘for us, this is therefore not simply another win or transaction each month.
It is s a duty to deliver and we will take it seriously’.

“We will look to create a shared value at every turn and strive to ensure inclusive, accessible and meaningful financial services support.”

He further promised to find new and innovative ways to partner with the council to be an active contributor in growing the economy of the city.

The City of Francistown clerk, Mr Lopang Pule said the two-year contract indicated the council’s continued efforts to align itself with key national strategies such as Vision 2036, the

President’s reset agenda as well as the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development’s strategy and transformation plan 2021-2025.

“The use of technology has become reliant on making any process more efficient, especially when dealing with money,” he said.

Mr Pule said Ipelegeng beneficiaries, who were marginalised vulnerable members of the society, deserved services that allowed for sensitivity in how they could access their money.

Currently, beneficiaries had to queue and cash their cheques, a situation that did not allow privacy, promote financial literacy or offer any options on how to better their lives, he said.

“This platform allows for withdrawal of money at any given time once credited, without having to be identified as an Ipelegeng worker” he added.

Mr Pule described Unayo as a  powerful platform and commended Stanbic Bank for actively participating in ensuring that Ipelegeng beneficiaries got the dignity they deserved in having the banking privacy.

Explaining the Unapo platform, the manager, Mr Seeletso Moepeng said all beneficiaries could sign up through mobile phones without much assistance.

As the platform is fully digital, he said beneficiaries could access their money at any ATM countrywide, adding that they had the option to keep the money in their accounts as savings.

The council, he said, now had the option of a bulk disbursement. ENDS