By Mary Kabay
At a ceremony held at their Hill Station head office on 27th November, 2020, one of Sierra Leone’s leading mobile operator, Orange–SL, through its Orange Money Department, officially launched its latest product, dubbed ‘Oversea Money’. The occasion was graced by CEO of Orange Sierra Leone, Aminata Kane, the CEO of BNB international, Alpha Barrie and the CEO Orange Money, David Mansaray.
The Oversea money service offers all valid orange money customers to opportunity to receive money from friends and families from the Diaspora to their orange money wallet, which can be easily accessed through an SMS alert on their orange money line.
Speaking during the launching ceremony, David Mansaray, CEO of Orange Money Sierra Leone, appreciated their international partner and his team for their relentless support towards the reality of this service, maintaining that Orange Money Sierra Leone continues to break new ground in Digital Financial Inclusion. “Today we launched “Oversea Money”, in partnership with Western Union and BnB. Diasporas can now send money directly to the mobile phone wallet of their friends and relatives in Sierra Leone via Western Union, BnB and other Money Transfer Operators”.
This service, he went on, will eliminate the discomfort and associated travelling costs incurred by their esteemed customers to obtain funds received from overseas. It is, in his words, the “Key solution for customers to avoid queues at various touch points and the impact of middlemen (relatives and friends) have been addressed.”
Mansaray explained that inbound remittances are expected to increase, especially during this festive season and will provide flows to support exchange stability in Sierra Leone. It will also enable policy makers to have a better perspective of significant portion of international remittance that goes through the informal channels, guiding their decision making process with enhanced data.
David Mansaray maintained that Orange Money is fully committed to making a difference in the lives its valued customers and shape the future of Sierra Leone. He extended special thanks to Mr. Alpha Barrie, CEO of BNB, for the partnership and the provision of this valuable service to their customers, which, he furthered, will go a long way to reduce the stress of accessing remittances from friends and family members in the diaspora at a much faster rate and in record time.
The service includes remittances through the following partners: WESTERN UNION,BNB, Small World, OmnexGroup, Yahwii and Shaka Express. He furthered that more will be disclosed as the service hits its mark, thus customers will now receive money at their comfort zone and at ease.
Dilating on the importance of this service to its valued customers, Mr. David Mansaray said that customers will be able to access money sent from oversea into their wallet, and can carry out their normal daily transactions using their orange money line. This service also broadens the economic landscape in the digital revolution, adding that after the introduction of the Larjor money, now it is the oversea money.
Mr. Alpha Barrie, Chief Executive Officer of the BNB in his statement, elaborating on how his company operates, he said that he is proud to say that they are technologically inclined. He furthered that if issues arise, they are ready to fix it, advising that the customer will first download the BNB app and all their problems will be resolved without stress or fear of losing their money.
Finally, the orange money technical team explained how this service works. “DI MONI DON LAND” is the first statement that is asked by many customers receiving money from overseas.
They also explained the meaning of Overseas Money, which is receiving money from overseas using your orange money wallet.
It was explained that for this service, the customer can receive up to Le15 million at the maximum and 50 thousand minimum, furthermore, no charge is applied in using this service, except when the customer wants to cash out from his/her wallet, where the normal fee for cashing out will apply. They disclosed that the customer will receive an SMS alert on his or her phone to confirm that transaction is done.
Explaining further about the service, it was disclosed that there is no verification process for the customer; all they need to do is send their correct information to the sender, which includes their names as it is registered on their orange line.
The BNB app will make it simple for the customer, if there is any mistake during transaction, but it is done only for those that they are sending and receiving money through the BNB company.
With the Oversea Money Service, customers in the country can only receive, but will not be able to send.
They called on their valued customers to take advantage of this service and inform their friends and families abroad to directly to their Orange Money wallet, as Orange Money now partners with Western Union, BnB etc. to bring you Oversea Money.
