When the world gets closer.

We help you see farther.

Sign up to our expressly international daily newsletter.

Smarter Cities

Where Mobile Phones Have Become The Banking System

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, people have come to rely on the ability to do basic financial transactions anywhere. The downside is when cellular connection crashes.

Congolese rely on their mobile phones everywhere. (File Photo -Kinshasa)
Congolese rely on their mobile phones everywhere. (File Photo -Kinshasa)
Thaddée Hyawe-Hinyi

BUKAVU — All mobile network operators in the Democratic Republic of the Congo now offer financial services to their clients, allowing them to quickly send and receive money anywhere. These services have become much valued by locals, especially those who live far from big towns and bank branches.

The technology is also used by the Education Ministry to pay the wages of teachers who work in remote areas where there are no banks. The teachers receive their salaries directly on their phones and can withdraw the money at any counter of the operator Vodacom.

"We don't need to show our ID to withdraw money," explains Alfred Muhindo, a student and a customer of Airtel money. "We just need to know our account's password. The payment, however, depends on how much you want. Wherever you go, the branch needs to have enough money."

Any transfer below $50 is free, with fees running between 60 cents and $1.40 for larger transfers. Many clients also use this system as an electronic wallet. It's possible to store money on your account by adding calling credit, which can be converted in cash at any time.

"The system is available wherever you are," explains a student at the Catholic University of Bukavu, a city in the eastern part of the country. He is waiting for a transfer from his parents, so he constantly checks his cellphone. The service is great for students because it allows them to receive even small sums of $5 or less, and is cheaper than the commissions of transfer companies like Western Union or Money Gramm.

There is, however, one limit to the service: network coverage. Users would like to see the connectivity of their phone carriers improved, both for better communication, and now also so they can withdraw money at any moment.

"When the connection doesn't work — and it happens often, sometimes for a whole day — then everything is blocked," explains Charlyn Mbonimpa, a stay-at-home mother. The same problem also affects transfer companies. Another issue is that small branches often don't have enough money for their clients, which forces them to go to bigger kiosks.

The system is pretty secure, as long as the phone's owner keeps the transaction passwords secret. If nobody knows the password, "it's difficult to lose money," says Déolsu, a kiosk owner in Bukavu. But if a client gets his phone stolen, he should know that he must go immediately to a branch and have the number blocked, and order a new SIM card.

You've reached your limit of free articles.

To read the full story, start your free trial today.

Get unlimited access. Cancel anytime.

Exclusive coverage from the world's top sources, in English for the first time.

Insights from the widest range of perspectives, languages and countries.

Geopolitics

How Russia And China Are Trying To Drive France Out Of Africa

Fueled by the Kremlin, anti-French sentiment in Africa has been spreading for years. Meanwhile, China is also increasing its influence on the continent as Africa's focus shifts from west to east.

Photo of a helicopter landing, guided a member of France's ​Operation Barkhane in the Sahel region

Maneuver by members of France's Operation Barkhane in the Sahel region

Maria Oleksa Yeschenko

France is losing influence in its former colonies in Africa. After French President Emmanuel Macron decided last year to withdraw the military from the Sahel and the Central African Republic, a line was drawn under the "old French policy" on the continent. But the decision to withdraw was not solely a Parisian initiative.

October 23-24, 2019, Sochi. Russia holds the first large-scale Russia-Africa summit with the participation of four dozen African heads of state. At the time, French soldiers are still helping Mali, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Chad, and Niger fight terrorism as part of Operation Barkhane.

Stay up-to-date with the latest on the Russia-Ukraine war, with our exclusive international coverage.

Sign up to our free daily newsletter.

Few people have heard of the Wagner group. The government of Mali is led by Paris-friendly Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, although the country has already seen several pro-Russian demonstrations. At that time, Moscow was preparing a big return to the African continent, similar to what happened in the 1960s during the Soviet Union.

So what did France miss, and where did it all go wrong?

Keep reading...Show less

You've reached your limit of free articles.

To read the full story, start your free trial today.

Get unlimited access. Cancel anytime.

Exclusive coverage from the world's top sources, in English for the first time.

Insights from the widest range of perspectives, languages and countries.

The latest