Airtel Ghana and software firm Rancard have
launched Airtel Money Market, an online store which opens an
additional e-commerce channel for Airtel Money customers and
merchants.
The online platform is powered by Rancard’s
Rendezvous Technology which allows social interactions from users
when buying a product online.
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Kola Sonola, director for m-commerce at Airtel Ghana told local
media that Airtel Money Market’s aim is positioning Airtel Money as
an easier payment solution for online shopping.
Kofi Dadzie, managing director of Rancard,
said:
“Africa’s growing middle class provides a
burgeoning market that can be energised to create greater demand in
online shopping through social recommendations”.
In other news, Airtel has announced plans to
invest USD100m in its Rwanda operations over the next three
years.
Airtel Rwanda established operations in the country only two
months ago.
After a recent meeting between Rwandan president Paul Kagame and
Manoj Kohli, CEO and Joint managing director at Bharti Airtel,
Kohli told local media: “Rwanda is a promising telecommunications
market and we are grateful to the government and people of Rwanda
for the support extended to us since our entry into the
country.”
He added: “Our strategy for Rwanda is in harmony with the
government’s vision to make telecommunications a priority. We plan
to work closely with the government to provide access to affordable
telecoms products and services across the country.”
Airtel has a license to operate 2G and 3G GSM mobile services
since late 2011.
Kohli also told local media that although Kigali is currently
operating on a 2G network, the company plans to launch 3G services
in the market within the next quarter.
Airtel’s mobile money transfer service, Airtel Money Rwanda is
also available in the country.
The mobile network operator has already got a widespread
presence across the continent’s markets such as Kenya, Nigeria,
Rwanda, and Uganda to name a few.
