By: Brighton Thengoliweta Chimsinde

Mchinji, October 28, Mana: People in rural areas of Traditional Authorities (TAs) Ndawambe and Mkanda in Mchinji District have raised concerns that lack of access to mobile phone network is a major challenge that discourages them from adopting and using digital finance services.

The people raised concerns during a digital finance service (DFS) awareness campaign being held in the Mchinji district.

Traditional Authority Ndawambe said it was difficult to switch to mobile phone money transactions because the area does not have a mobile phone network.

“Despite the goodness of the service, people in the area are denied access due to lack of the mobile phone network of either Airtel or TNM. We are pleading with mobile phone network operators to erect a network tower as soon as possible for us to enjoy the services,” TA Ndawambe said.

Another person who also expressed network concerns was a head teacher at Mkanda Secondary School, Marcel Elifala who asked mobile phone network providers to strengthen their network's capacity for it to be accessible everywhere and all the time.

“I have been using the services since the introduction of mobile phones money transactions and it is good in terms of security and reduces time consumption. However, I am requesting the relevant authorities to boost mobile phone networks and that it be accessible to all parts of the district,” Elifala said.

Elifala also described the service fees incurred when doing electronic money transactions as being exorbitant.

In an interview with Support for Digitalization Financial Inclusion and Campaign Competitiveness Project`s E-Trade Specialist, Sangwani Mkandawire, said he was encouraged that mobile network operators are being involved during the campaign for them to see how best they can also respond to the consumers' concerns.

“The campaign has helped to expose challenges encountered by the consumers and mobile network operators need to see how best they can respond to consumers' concerns and how they can protect their customers,” said Mkandawire. 

The campaign is spearheaded by the Ministry of Finance and Reserve Bank of Malawi with funding from the African Development Bank Group (AFDB).