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By Alawi Masare
The Citizen Reporter
Mlandizi. Lack of banking services in rural areas has been said to marginalise a huge section of the country’s population, given the fact that over 75 per cent of people live in villages. Apart from blocking a sizeable population, the people who use banking services and reside in rural areas face a number of challenges, including safety risks of their lives and cash they carry with them. The savings groups based in Mlandizi township, have requested Barclays Bank - where they hold their account – to introduce mobile banking facilities or establish a branch at Kibaha to help them save the time they spend to reach their branch in Dar es Salaam.
“Mobile banking facilities will save us time, will reduce the risk related with carrying bulky cash, it will save us from many troubles,” said Frida Gongi, a member of one of the groups. Ms Gongi who is the secretary of the economic and planning committee of Input Marketing Association (IMA) – a union of 14 saving groups at Mlandizi – said it was always a big risk once one secured a loan, as one has to carry cash.
Head of corporate affairs at Barclays Bank Tanzania Kati Kerenge said the bank was in the process of integrating mobile services.“While opening a new branch here is a welcome idea, there are a number of factors to take into account, ” said Ms Kerenge.
The savings groups expressed their concerns when Barclays Bank’s Retail and Business Banking Corporate Affairs director, Ms Catharine French, visited them in the company of both the CEO of CARE International UK, Mr Geoffrey Dennis, and Ms Marie Staunton of Plan UK on Tuesday.
The groups are among beneficiaries of the partnership of Barclays Bank, CARE International and Plan UK known as the “Banking on Change” initiative.The initiative bringd together the independent interests of each partner to improve the quality of life for poor people by extending and developing access to basic financial services.
Barclays has invested $1.5 million (Sh2.4 billion) in the initiative in Tanzania. Its implementation is done in Kibaha, Geita, Mwanza, Ifakara, Kisarawe and Dar Urban.
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