NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Cash transfers in the time of COVID-19 have been crucial in relieving vulnerable people from the adverse economic effects they face. Governments disburse social assistance payments through physical or digital channels, but the pandemic has created an urgent need to accelerate digital delivery to minimize the spread of the virus through physical contact and to disburse funds at an unprecedented scale rapidly. The lessons learned with G2P systems before and during the pandemic promise good inputs for countries considering more conducive G2P systems.

In most cases, countries that have been modernizing G2P delivery digitally for some years have been more able to respond to COVID-19. Several countries are on pathways towards modern and more customer-centric payments systems that are more convenient and improve the customer experience by introducing greater customer control.  In this interactive webinar, participants will hear how governments can create more customer-centric G2P payments systems, as well as the benefits and challenges for all parties involved, and learn from experiences from the Sub-Saharan Africa region.

Zambia

Expanding-Customer-Choice-Zambia

The Future of Government-to-Person (G2P) Payments: Three Years of Learning About G2P Choice in Zambia

Kenya

Innovating for Customer Choice in Kenya

Togo

Using Mobile Phone and Satellite Data to Target Emergency Cash Transfers in Togo

Speakers

Gregory Chen | Policy Lead, CGAP [Moderator]

Gregory Chen leads CGAP’s Policy team, which helps policymakers adapt to digital finance’s fast-changing world. This includes developing and executing a strategy to engage multiple countries, regions, and global bodies—and oversight of the work of more than a dozen staff and consultants. Gregory has 25 years of financial inclusion experience and deep regional experience in South Asia. His work has focused on hands-on start-up pioneer microfinance institutions, digital finance players, and FinTech. He has been part of forging new institutions and regulatory environments to support financial sectors. This includes work with the Aga Khan Development Network, BRAC, Telenor, and Dvara. He also has experience as a corporate banker at Bank of America and led the establishment of the financial services consulting firm Enclude in South Asia.

Cina Lawson | Minister of Digital Economy and Digital Transformation, Togo

Drawing from over 17 years of experience and expertise in telecommunications policy and regulation, Lawson is leading Togo through a profound transition to an inclusive digital economy. She began her career at the World Bank in Washington, D.C. assisting governments in developing countries to execute regulatory reforms. She then worked for Alcatel-Lucent in Paris before joining Orange Group in New York City as Manager of Corporate Strategy and Business Development. As a minister, she has boosted private sector participation in the Togolese telecoms sector, enacted new legal and regulatory frameworks and privatized the historic operator. Lawson’s transformative initiatives such as strengthening data protection and cybersecurity; implementing universal digital ID; digitizing government-to-people payments; and, accelerating the deployment of high-speed Internet nationwide, have contributed to building a solid foundation for the modernization of Togo’s economy. She is a fervent advocate of innovation-driven solutions to Africa’s developmental challenges. Lawson’s work has gained recognition from around the world, including from the World Economic Forum, les Napoleons and Forbes. In 2019, she received the Harvard Alumni Public Service Award becoming the first African female political figure to do so. Lawson is a graduate of Sciences Po Paris and the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Victor Malu | Senior Advisor, Financial Sector Deepening (FSD) Kenya

Victor Malu leads FSD’s work in supporting the creation of a platform for inclusion through the formal financial system. He identifies opportunities for FSD project investments and markets FSD Kenya’s programme to high potential partners across the private sector, non-profit institutions and government. Before joining FSD Kenya he spent more than two decades holding senior positions in the banking industry in institutions such as Bank Indozuez, Citibank NA and Barclays bank. He received his Bachelor of Commerce Degree, First Class Honors- Accounting major from the University of Poona as well as a Diploma in Advanced Management program from the University of Navarra.

Emma Hobson | Senior Social Protection Specialist, World Bank

Emma Wadie Hobson is Task Team Leader for the multi-donor funded, Government implemented, Girls Education and Women’s Empowerment and Livelihoods (GEWEL) project in Zambia. Emma’s background has focused on social safety nets, social protection delivery systems, productive inclusion and jobs. Before joining the World Bank, Emma worked at USAID Ethiopia on the $2.4 billion, Productive Safety Net Program, implemented by the Government of Ethiopia. Having previously worked or consulted at USAID, European Commission, UNDP and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, Emma has experience from Africa, South Asia and the Middle East.