Financial inclusion: ALMPO attracts about 180,000 agents serving 30 million customers

Fri, Nov 29, 2019
By publisher
2 MIN READ

Business

THE Association of Licensed Mobile Money Payment Operators (ALMPO), on Friday said it had expanded its network with about 180,000 agents serving more than 30 million customers across the country.

The Chairman of ALMPO, Mr Chinedu Onuoha, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the association had recorded tremendous progress in supporting financial inclusion in Nigeria.

“From 2018 till now, a lot of progress has been recorded; our membership has grown, our contributions to the society have also grown.

“Today, we have close to 180,000 agents which were not there the time we started. Last year, we barely had about 70,000 agents.

“The number of customers we are serving today has also increased tremendously,” he said.

Onuoha said that mobile payment penetration was deepening in the country, noting, however, that there   were still some work to do to bring the excluded into the mobile financial service system.

The ALMPO chairman said that lack of adequate infrastructure and strong mobile network was a challenge to mobile payment operations.

He said: “As we go lower, the financial empowerment level is very weak; people don’t have the resources to save.

“Cultural issues are also a barrier because people think that mobile payment is for the elite or people that have much money, without knowing that it is for everybody.”

He gave the assurance that the association would continue to educate Nigerians about its operations.

Onuoha said that the association would collaborate with telecoms operators, security agencies and other stakeholders to boost mobile payment and financial inclusion.

NAN reports that ALMPO is an umbrella of mobile payment operators licensed by the Central Bank of Nigeria to drive delivery of efficient mobile payment and promote financial inclusion.

ALMPO currently has over 20 member-organisations. (NAN)

– Nov. 29, 2019 @ 12:42 GMT |

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