Unitel, an Angola-based mobile operator, has launched Unitel Money, a digital money service in the Central African country.
The technology will be available in all of the country’s 18 provinces.
Users will be able to make deposits, withdrawals, transfers, and payments using their smartphones, all without the requirement for a bank account.
Unitel plans to reach over 3 million users in the mobile money sector, according to a statement, and the company will only be able to remain profitable if the number of consumers grows.
“Previously, we didn’t have excellent profit prospects,” said Miguel Geraldes, Unitel’s General Director.
Unitel expects the platform’s success to be aided by its extensive network of agents.
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“Unitel has over 6,000 contractual Agents and about 20,000 sub-Agents,” Geraldes explains. We’ll start with over 1000 Agents across the country on long-term contracts.”
“The project is more than a mobile payment service; it enables the local ICT ecosystem to tap into mobile payment and grow the digital economy; it benefits not only individuals but also SMEs to help them grow their businesses and fuel the economic recovery in the post-COVID-19 era,” according to the statement.
Huawei’s technology powers the Unitel Money platform. Unitel has been partnering with the Chinese mobile device technology conglomerate for “a couple of years,” according to a Unitel statement.
“Huawei is willing to work with Unitel and commit to providing high-quality telecommunications and mobile payment services for Angola as always, boost the rapid growth of non-cash payments, and contribute to the transformation of Angola’s digital society and economy,” said Chu Xiaoxin, the CEO of Huawei Angola, during a workshop on the subject held on Friday in a Luanda hotel.
