By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Quickteller Paypoint has said it is co-funding relief programmes to provide personal protection equipment and wares for Quickteller Paypoint Agents across the country.
At a virtual forum held recently, the Divisional CEO of Interswitch Financial Inclusion Services (IFIS), Ms Titilola Shogaolu, explained that this move is to ensure that the agents are in compliance with COVID-19 expert advisory, while rendering services to the public.
Ms Shogaolu further stated that the organisation was also adopting to new channels of communication with our agents to educate them.
She emphasised the relevance of social distancing at a time like this, as well as the importance of cash management, advising the agents to take advantage of the fact that some bank branches may be possibly closed, to diversify their services by having an excellent product mix and exploring the introduction of cash deposit machines.
During the forum organised for the agents under the auspices of Association of Mobile Money and Bank Agents in Nigeria (AMMBAN), Quickteller Paypoint assured of continued support during the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic.
Expressing her profound gratitude to AMMBAN, Ms Shogaolu commended the association for putting the forum together at a time like this, when the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted many businesses across the globe.
She reiterated that these are unprecedented times, as the entire world is faced by uncertainties caused by the disease outbreak and as such there is the need to sensitize agents on the possible impact of the pandemic on our services, and the necessary measures to deal with it.
The CEO highlighted the need for smart solutions that expediate digital transactions and processes, adding that, with the lock-down situation in the country, things will no longer be business as usual, hence, the need to constantly innovate and evolve, to meet the changing needs of the ecosystem.
“Quickteller Paypoint is co-funding relief programmes to provide personal protection equipment and wares for Quickteller Paypoint agents, to ensure that they are in compliance with COVID-19 expert advisory, while they render services to the public. We are also adopting to new channels of communication with our Agents to educate them,” she said.
The forum, with the theme The impact of COVID-19 on the Digital Financial Services (DFS) ecosystem in Nigeria, was an initiative of AMMBAN.
The group facilitated a discussion session between Mobile Money Service Providers, Bank Agents and the general public, on precautionary measures to take as essential service providers during the ongoing pandemic as well as trends that are likely to continue after it is defeated.
Speakers at the forum, including Professor Olayinka David West, Information System Specialist and Academic Director at Lagos Business School and Jay Alabra, Co-Founder PagaTech Limited, all unanimously opined that the COVID-19 pandemic has not only changed the world but has also transformed the way transactions are carried out.
In their votes of thanks, Victor Olojo, National President, AMMBAN; Yusuf Adeyemo, National Programme Director and Olawale Tiamiyu, applauded all three speakers for taking time out to join in on the forum to address these pertinent issues.
Interswitch Financial Inclusion Services is an interconnect point and infrastructure for integrating and delivering electronic payment services to the unbanked, under-banked and banked.
The organisation works with financial service providers, merchants, billers, and other organizations that aim to increase their efficiency and outreach, through its network of human service interfaces for secure financial transactions nationwide.
Aduragbemi Omiyale 
Dipo Olowookere