By Janet A. Sesay
In a bid to put smiles on the faces of its valued customers across the country, Orange Money, which is one of the reliable offers of Orange Sierra Leone, has, on Friday 27th November 2020, launched Orange Overseas Money wallet.
This means that if a person has family overseas and they want to send money for you, the person doesn’t need to go to the Western Union or other money bureau to collect his or her money, “the money will be sent directly into your phone and you can go to any Orange Money agent in your area and cash it.”
In a brief statement, made by David Mansaray, Chief Executive Officer, Orange Money Sierra Leone, he said this type of product is going to be the first in history in Sierra Leone. He said Orange Overseas Money means that if a person wants to send money to you, from overseas, the money can be delivered in your mobile phone wallet easily and in its simplest form.
He said people now have the opportunity to ask their family members or friends, overseas, to send money to them directly into their phones. He said “This takes away all the hustles of receiving money.”
Mr. Mansaray continued that Orange is not doing this alone; they are in partnership with Western Union, BMB money transaction, which is based in Guinea and all other money transaction units.
He said that the only thing needed for the customers is for them to ask their relatives, overseas, to include their Orange Mobile phone number as part of the process, which they usually do in sending money and the person could receive the money straight into his or her phone.
He said this is simply because a person does not need to go to the Western Union or any Bureau foreign account anymore to collect money received from relatives overseas. He furthered that people can sit in their house and receive their money sent from overseas without any hustle.
He also detailed that people can even use their money to buy EDSA, pay DSTV bill and do whatever they want with their Orange Money and can cash it when they want.
Mr. Mansaray said that the simplest thing is that their customers do not have to hustle anymore.
“We are very excited about it. We always do things to put a smile on the faces of our customers,” Mr. Mansaray disclosed.
Mansaray continued that the bigger picture of this product is that it brings more people into the formal sector of money transmission, which means that, in the past, people find it difficult to ask their relatives overseas to send money for them because they live in a faraway place in the village and they have to move, from up country, to a city center to collect money. But Mr. Mansaray said they have made it simple because, with their phones, they just need to go to any Orange agent and collect their money.
He said they introduced Orange Money Major that gives access to credit facilities of their customers and they are moving on in terms of financial inclusion. Now they are introducing Orange Overseas Money.
“This tells us that we are moving on in terms of ensuring that we put smile on the faces of our customers. We embrace the future of the people in the country,” he boasted.
He ended by thanking the staffs of Orange Money and their partners.
Alpha Barrie is the Chief Executive Officer of BMB Company. He said their company, which started operation in 2014, is from Guinea. He said when they started, as a Company, one thing they had in mind was for the two countries to partner together. He said that, over the years, they have been partners with a lot of companies around the world.
Alpha Barrie said that his job is going around countries, like USA and Canada, working with agencies and companies who understand what their company and other agencies are really looking for.
He said BMB is not only a registered company but it is also a technology company. He furthered that there has been a lot of problems for people when they receive money from overseas. According to him, they end up with fake codes and, when a person goes to the bureau to collect money, they will tell that person that there is no money.
“But with this product, relatives overseas can easily send money in people’s Orange money wallet, he said.
Abiebatu Baxtex, Head of Strategic Marketing and Partnership, Orange Money, said this Orange Overseas Money can only be received. Presently customers, in Sierra Leone, cannot send money, but with time “we will work on that aspect of sending money.”
According to her, a customer can receive money as low as fifty thousand Leones and as high as fifteen million Leones. “Anywhere in the world people can send Orange Overseas Money,” she concluded.