By Foday Moriba Conteh
Africell Sierra Leone, through its mobile money service Afrimoney, has launched a new partnership with Guma Valley Water Company (GVWC) aimed at streamlining water bill payments. The launch event took place on Tuesday, October 2, 2024, at the GVWC compound on Wilberforce Street, Freetown.
Marian Saata Karim, Acting Director of Commercial Services at GVWC, delivered the keynote address, expressing gratitude to attendees and underscoring the significance of the partnership, which has been in development since last year. “Water is life and no one can live without it. We use money to process and provide water to the public,” she said, emphasizing the essential nature of the new service.
The Acting Director encouraged the public to obtain an Africell SIM card and register for Afrimoney to conveniently pay their water bills from home. “This service allows customers to pay their water bills with ease,” she added.
John Konteh, Marketing Director of Africell Sierra Leone, praised GVWC for its efforts to improve water supply in Freetown and highlighted how the new digital payment platform would alleviate the inconvenience of in-person bill payments. “This platform reduces the stress of visiting GVWC offices by offering a simpler and more convenient method for our customers,” he said.
He outlined the easy steps for using Afrimoney to pay bills: “Africell subscribers registered with Afrimoney can dial *161*2*11*9#, enters their GVWC account number, confirms the payment amount and finalizes the transaction with their Afrimoney PIN. Both Afrimoney and GVWC will send confirmation notifications.”
John Konteh also confirmed that the Afrimoney platform could be used to pay GVWC bills not only in Freetown’s western area but in all locations where GVWC services are available.
Dr. Peter Lamin, from GVWC’s Communication Unit, welcomed the partnership, noting that it is the first collaboration of its kind with Africell. He emphasized how this initiative would make bill payments more accessible for customers who previously faced challenges visiting GVWC offices.
The event concluded with the official launch of the partnership between Afrimoney and Guma Valley Water Company.
