The Ministry of Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation have entered into a partnership agreement that opens up Vodafone’s M-PAISA platform for social welfare beneficiaries to receive their monthly payments. 

Making the announcement, the Minister for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation, Ms Rosy Akbar said, “we are aware, how efficiently and effectively government was able to use the M-PAiSA platform to process the COVID-Cash assistance directly on beneficiary mobile phone all over the country during the lockdown. By entering into this partnership with Vodafone, our Ministry is opening up the M-PAiSA option for interested social welfare beneficiaries to receive their monthly payment directly onto their mobile phones. We hope this new option will assist our clients”. Interested social welfare beneficiaries may contact the Ministry or call Vodafone customer care who will are able to assist in the signup process.

Head of Vodafone eCommerce and Digital Financial Services, Shailendra Prasad said “we continue to work with government as part of its greater digital and financial inclusion drive to make government services more accessible and less challenging for the public.

The benefits of receiving the social welfare payments into a M-PAISA account are manyfold.  There is no account maintenance fee for keeping an M-PAISA account which means if you receive $100 and do not use for the whole year, your money remains intact with no deductions.  Furthermore, there is no requirement to keep a minimum balance in your account which means you can use up to the last cent to pay for goods and services.

For social welfare beneficiaries many who are retired senior citizens or physically challenged, the comfort of receiving their allowance directly on their phone wherever they may be is much more convenient than standing in lines at banks or at ATM’s.  Social welfare beneficiaries receiving payments into M-PAiSA will immediately be formed via a SMS message that their money has reached M-PAiSA without the need for them to check balance at ATM to confirm receipt of payment.

With over 2400 business outlets now accepting M-PISA payment Fiji wide, beneficiaries can make cashless payments conveniently to pay for goods and service without the need to withdraw cash.    The money is also safe in the M-PAiSA account with PIN code. So you only use what you need at any point in time rather than carry cash in wallets which can be at risk of loss or theft.

Water and electricity bills are also easily paid through M-PAISA with no additional fee and charges and with increased bus fare and fuel costs, most essential payments could be made from home thus saving travel costs.

Vodafone will partner with the Ministry to help customers regarding the use and options of the M-PAISA service.