Mbabane: The gradual reopening of the economy means that some government service areas will be congested and that is something that is undesirable more especially in the era of COVID-19 pandemic.
At the height of rapid spread of the coronavirus, Eswatini government in partnership with MTN Eswatini has introduced an alternative of mitigating long queues and complying with Ministry of Health guidelines for preventing the spread of Coronavirus and that is paying government revenues through mobile money platform.
Minister of Commerce, Industry and Trade Manqoba Khumalo who also happens to be the Acting Minister of Information, Communication and Technology officially launched the MTN mobile money milestone which can also be referred to as Eswatini’s E-Payment Platform for Business Registration at the Royal Villas Hotel on July 1.
Khumalo said this kind of intervention strategically comes at a time when the whole world is trying to stifle the catastrophic effects of COVID-19, particularly on business. Khumalo said when the year 2020 began, the country had dreams and hopes that would have brought the country closer to overarching strategic vision of attaining first world status by 2022. However, COVID-19 dashed those dreams and hopes and left more MSMEs in dire straits.
The Minister added that as government transitions towards the new normal, it has required them to come up with innovative adaptation techniques. He said the launch of this e-platform supports cashless transactions and will lessen transaction costs through the elimination of transport fees and the long queues that have become synonymous with most Government transactions.
MTN Chief Executive Officer Wandile Mtjali said this integration of the payment system will help Emaswati stay safe and enable them to make their Government payments 24 hours a day, seven days a week. “The cherry top is that they can make payments from the comfort of their homes or workplace.
How it work?
Dial *468# then select a language. From there, select Ministry of Commerce and then select ‘Company registration.’ Once details have been filled in, confirm payment with your Mobile Money Pin. You will then receive an SMS notification confirming the payment.
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