NEWS
Digital payments in Kenya grow beyond pandemic-led push , reports Cellulant
The growth witnessed in Kenya is reflective of the payments landscape in the rest of Africa , reports Cellulant , with a noted shift in consumer behaviour .
At the onset , consumers were looking for different digital payment options as physical stores were closed and when they opened such methods provided safer ways to make payments in a bid to curb the spread of COVID-19 .
Digital payments have shifted from being a nice-to-have for businesses to a necessity as more consumers prefer digital platforms as their primary payment method .
This is according to Faith Nkatha Gitonga , Country Manager , Cellulant , Kenya . who made the remarks at the opening ceremony of this year ’ s Social Media Week in Nairobi . Gitonga said : “ In 2019 , Cellulant processed US $ 5.7 billion worth of payments in Kenya alone . In 2020 , accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic , we saw a 40 % increase and we ’ re looking at a 50 % projected to increase by the close of 2021 .”
“ As more of our merchant customers ’ prefer digital payments , we ’ re innovating new payment frameworks and growing our partnerships in response to this growing demand ,” added Gitonga . “ We ’ re definitely seeing more of our customers from airlines , e-commerce companies , ride-hailing companies , online travel agencies , utilities and telecoms asking for more platform-style digital products and diversity in the payment method they offer to their customers .”
African Development Bank ’ s Coding for Employment programme set to expand digital skills among rural youth
The African Development Bank ’ s Coding for Employment programme will train over 500 digital ambassadors to lead a peerto-peer training model set to expand digital skills to more African youth , especially in rural communities with limited internet connectivity .
The programme recently hit a 130,000-enrollment milestone among young people across Africa on its e-learning and digital Nigeria platforms .
“ It is very important that we build upon the success of the Coding for Employment programme to take digital literacy to the grassroots . The community-based model will ensure that the youth in rural areas are digitally empowered , which further affirms the Bank ’ s commitment to raising the next generation of digitally enabled youth and women on the continent ,” said Martha Phiri , Director , African Development Bank , Human Capital , Youth and Skills Development Department .
“ Today ’ s youth are our future leaders and entrepreneurs , which is why it is so critical that we empower them with the digital skills they need to contribute meaningfully to the global digital economy . Microsoft is honoured to be partnering with the African Development Bank on its incredible Coding for Employment program ,” said Ghada Khalifa , Regional Director , Microsoft Philanthropies , Middle East and Africa .
Digital ambassadors will receive stipends and have access to the digital skills training centres in Côte d ’ Ivoire , Kenya , Nigeria , Senegal , and Rwanda .
14 INTELLIGENTCIO AFRICA www . intelligentcio . com