Paga, a Nigerian mobile money and payment services startup has announced its partnership with Visa to expand its services and give subscribers a wider network. In a statement issued on Medium, the Fintech said the partnership is aimed at accelerating services toward global reach, and to give account holders the ability to make transactions using an already established platform with global network.

“We are pleased to announce our strategic partnership with Visa to enable Paga and Visa work closely in accelerating secure and convenient mobile payments for merchants and consumers in markets where Paga operates.

This partnership is in line with Visa’s goals to drive alternative payment channels, in this case, mobile wallets, within its global ecosystem. For Paga, partnering with Visa is one step further in our global expansion plans. Now, all Paga account holders will have access to Visa credentials (physical and virtual cards) tied to their Paga accounts and thus the ability to transact anywhere in the world where Visa is accepted,” the statement said.

Paga said that the partnership involves new innovative initiatives that will be introduced soon: Merchant acceptance solutions which include QR codes and NFC for in-store merchant payments, online payments, and international remittances which will be facilitated through Visa platform.

Nigerian Fintechs have been using partnership strategy to expand their services to countries beyond the shores of Africa. Last month, Interswitch announced its partnership with American Express. The two companies were aiming to leverage on each other’s audience to expand their services. It appears that other Fintechs in Nigeria are following the same pattern.

Speaking on the partnership, Paga’s Founder and Group CEO Tayo Oviosu said Visa has become their ideal choice of partnership because they have common goals, and together they will make a great team in providing services to the underserved.

“We are excited to partner with Visa, a leader in payments globally, as they are constantly building world class solutions for consumers and businesses. Our goals are well aligned. As we scale our wallet across emerging markets such as Nigeria, Mexico, and Ethiopia, partnering with Visa to give both consumers and businesses, who have been underserved, access to Visa’s global network made sense to us.

“Furthermore, it was clear to us in all our engagements the alignment of our goals towards solving the issues of cash, digitizing cash transactions and delivering financial services using new and innovative approaches. We are very happy to have signed a long-term relationship with Visa,” Oviosu said.

Part of the innovation that the partnership will facilitate is to give merchants who use Paga’s payment collection suite the ability to accept non-card based payments from customers from around the world, as long as they original banks offer Visa services.

Paga believes that the new approach will change a lot of things, improve customer service, usher in a new experience that will in the long-run yield growth in sales.

Visa also expressed confidence and excitement about the partnership. Visa’s Vice President, Head of Strategic Partnerships, Fintech & Ventures for Central Europe Middle East and Africa Otto Williams said the development will result in speed and convenience beyond borders.

“We are excited to have Paga plug into our network, as a company we remain grounded on the principles of partnership, innovation, trust and openness. This development ushers in a new era of speed and convenience beyond borders.

“It also allows us to continue working towards innovating robust platforms through which merchants using paga’s payment collection suite can benefit from international money transfers and the growing eCommerce industry,” Williams said.

The statement reveals that Paga will join Visa Fintech Fast-Track Program as part of the deal. The program gives fintechs easy access to the global Visa payments network. The fintech fast-track program also provides support to players in the payment industry who are developing new commerce experiences by opening up Visa’s network to allow them facilitate financial services beyond their immediate environment.

Moreover, the fintech fast-track program includes eased access to Visa’s payment capabilities and its streamlined processes. This strategy affords companies the opportunity to grow in phases no matter the size of the company.

Paga is a mobile platform that allows its users to transfer money electronically and make payments through their mobile devices. Paga acts as a mobile wallet where any user equipped with a mobile device can conduct transactional activities using their device. It was founded in 2009 by Tayo Oviosu and publicly launched in 2011.

Tuesday is March 11. It was the day after Africa lost one of her illustrious sons to the ill fated Ethiopian Airline 302 crash in Addis Ababa. This day last year, it was an amalgam of sadness, confusion and grief among fans, friends and family of the late Nigerian-Canadian professor of English and Literature- Pius Adebola Adesanmi. Tears were shed both on physical and virtual spaces. From Accra to Ottawa, Canberra to Lilongwe, the days preceding March 10 in 2019 was a mourning period for a man reputed for his passion to change the not only the narrative but the reality of the problems prevalent in Africa. He has a huge following on Facebook from where he satirically launched acerbic attacks on those who seek to perpetuate the problems in Africa especially Nigeria, the country of his birth. 

Tuesday marked a year of this great loss and his friends, fans and colleagues celebrated his passing. From Facebook, encomiums were poured on Adesanmi and tributes flowed in celebrating what he stood for during his lifetime. In an essay penned to reflect on the one year without Adesanmi, Prof. Adeleke Adeeko, a Humanities Distinguished Professor at the Ohio State University, opened with a sense of personal loss. He lamented “It’s been a year ago now that I read anybody refer to me as “o??ga mii?!” Death ensured that Pius Adesanmi? will never call me that again.” He went on to describe Adesanmi’s death in the crash as “an awful infliction on us all in Addis Ababa on March 10, 2019. The bad news was, and is still, too stunning.” He delved into other areas where Adesanmi had influence in his life time. He agonized over Pius’s missed scholarly, literary and public intellectualism. 

In other posts, especially, the African Doctoral Lounge on Facebook, there were bursts of emotional words to express the absence of the giant African Professor. Bukola Akintola-Adesina wrote of Adesanmi’s immortality –  Pius,   you live on in our hearts. Tope Oriola, an Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Alberta, fondly expressed how Okun son remains in the hearts of his friends and followers. He wrote “We remember: Today and always. Adieu, Pius Adebola Adesanmi. Another follower of Adesanmi, who is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of English Studies, University of South Africa, Dr. Josephine Oluwafunmilayo Alexander also expressed a sense of deep loss for Adesanmi. She posted “the grief that greeted us with your tragic and sudden end remains palpable in our hearts and souls. Our world has been perpetually altered. You live on in our hearts and we love you eternally.” 

The tributes came pouring in a year after the demise of the Isanlu man, father of two daughters and only son to his parents. A Nigerian follower, Rofi Tayo, a student of the University of Benin wrote – I ask myself how, what and why death took him away unnoticeably. Ethiopian airlines flight 302 crash is more than a crash to the lovers of an academician, writer, literary critic, satirist, and columnist. Mystery in disguise. I hope his dream for his dear country is manifested, his book (Naija No Dey Carry Last) illustrated his passion for his great Nation called Nigeria.

As the years count by, it is understood that the wayfarer had gone to look for his final flight back home. A home where all mortals go. We are all wayfarers and we shall all board our flights home when the time comes. Death will happen when it will.

So I was listening to the radio one morning on 90.1 FM and the chairman Abuja colored taxi drivers was complaining about the challenges they face because of unregistered taxis. Then he mentioned Uber being an unregistered company. Saying Uber drivers are unregistered and could be criminals.

According to him, they (Abuja colored taxis) have the data of all their taxis and drivers and no crime can be committed that won’t be traced (hence the Uber reference). He complained about Uber taking their customers (money) he totally forgot that Uber has the data of every single driver, their cars are preferred and only operate in certain areas not all round Abuja. Clearly he missed a point which is that there is a gap Uber is not filling that they the registered licensed government taxis can fill.

Even though NURTW has shown Hooliganism and citizens have remarked they should Be Banned, what is the future of NURTW if they really want to compete with the current e-Hailing trends, such as those of Uber?

The Opportunity

Recall that the National Union of Road Transport Workers is an independent Nigerian trade union that serves the interests of transport workers in the road transport sector, by calling for collective obtaining and pushing for social stability for all workers in the transport sector as defined in its constitution.

Their association should just create their own app, they already have more coverage (all round Abuja), they already have the data of drivers and owners. This is what organizations in Nigeria fail to see, they would rather do things the old way.

They have more reach than Uber, which is that their cars can go to satellite towns. All that is needed here is just an internet platform and a lot government support, which will be given because the government right now is forward thinking + government ads, who do you think the government would rather pick – One Oyinbo (foreign) company or their own indigenous NURTW?

You guessed right, NURTW! As Nigerians we need to step up and start having creative solutions. NURTW can also learn from other countries that have rival companies giving Uber a run for their money.

For example in Saudi Arabia, Uber is facing stiff competition from other ride sharing company called Careem. Careem is a vehicle for hire company based in Dubai, with operations in over 100 cities in 14 countries in the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia. The company was valued at over $2 billion as of 2018. It is a subsidiary of Uber, with an independent brand and separate operations.

Other rivals around the world are Bolt (Africa and Europe), Ola (India), Lyft (US), Waymo (Google Self

Driving cars, US), Didi Chuxing (Asia) and Grab (South Asia). Registered operators (recognized by the government) should follow suit. Instead of calling for a nationwide ban of Uber, NURTW can adapt this same

platform to include buses. This way they just moved from regular driver and conductor to owners of buses. Making profits in the process. That’s how we need to look at advancement. It’s the same business but with a little touch of technology.

Conclusion

We should learn to stop fighting technology and start adapting it to our current business model. The National Union of Road Transport Workers is an independent Nigerian trade union that serves the interests of transport workers in the road transport sector, by calling for collective obtaining and pushing for social stability for all workers in the transport sector as defined in its constitution. Are acting with the right direction as the ever evolving technology fused business model grows? That’s the big question!

Reference Credit: Ebuka Raphel