National Microfinance Bank to digitize agricultural sector in Tanzania

Friday, March 10, 2017

National Microfinance Bank Pic (NMB) has signed a strategic partnership agreement with Mastercard to ensure the digitization of the agricultural sector in Tanzania with the roll-out of eKilimo, a mobile solution developed by the Mastercard Lab for Financial Inclusion.

eKilimo, which in Swahili means eAgriculture, is a digital platform that will help, introduce efficiency, security and transparency in the agriculture supply chain. The solution will make transacting faster, safer, and easier for all stakeholders including the farmer, the buyer and the agent.

Powered by the digital platform developed by the Mastercard Lab, farmers are now able to conduct the entire transaction process of receiving payments and selling produce via a feature or smartphone, without having to walk hours to markets.

This helps to ensure farmers benefit from the ability to capture a higher percentage of the wholesale value of their goods by providing price transparency and more direct access to buyers.

Source: BizNis Africa (link opens in a new window)

Categories
Agriculture, Technology
Tags
financial inclusion, fintech