Vodacom Mozambique has announced that there are now more than 120,000 agents for the M-Pesa mobile wallet service across the country, highlighting the company’s commitment to “expanding access to financial services, especially in rural areas.”
The announcement was made by Sérgio Gomes, CEO of M-Pesa Mozambique, during the third edition of M-Pesa FinTalks, held this Thursday (11) in Maputo, under the theme “Financial Inclusion as a Pillar for Generational Transition and Sustainable Self-Employment.”
However, Sérgio Gomes acknowledged that “critical challenges persist regarding financial inclusion, particularly the lack of civil identification for thousands of citizens and limited access to electricity in many regions of the country.”
“Tax identification is very important for accessing many financial services. However, we are working with the authorities to establish support points for issuing identification documents and to try to integrate their systems so that we can also act as an identification provider for the population,” explained the executive. He added that regarding electricity access — still one of the greatest limitations to financial inclusion — the mobile wallet is working with EDM and other renewable energy partners. “Just today, we presented a company that is relatively small but doing fantastic work producing energy through biodegradation technology, Solar Gas Energy.”
Among practical solutions, the operator introduced solar panels integrated into agent posts in Zambézia province, enabling them not only to provide financial services but also to offer phone, radio, and small lamp charging, contributing to community well-being. “We want to ensure access that is both sustainable and transformative for people’s lives,” said the CEO, reiterating the company’s role in promoting financial and digital inclusion in Mozambique.
The event also presented recent data from local studies showing progress in the use of digital financial services but also revealing persistent challenges such as gender inequality, infrastructure limitations, and high transaction costs. Despite improvements in account access and mobile money use, women still face significant barriers.
Gabriela Rosales, head of the Financial Services Access component of the GIZ-VAMOZ Competir program, shared real-life impact stories, including that of Jordão Felizardo, a 14-year-old who serves as treasurer of a community financial group in Nampula, demonstrating how inclusion can transform generations; Juva Costa, a trader who expanded her business and created jobs after accessing digital financial services; and Bernadete, a farmer who has financially included more than 800 people through her cooperative.
Vodacom also unveiled its new solution, Txova, which grants loans to users who wish to make payments without sufficient funds, as well as the FinTalks Podcast, giving voice to citizens from different regions, and the Finckathon, a digital marathon that challenges university students to create technological solutions for financial inclusion.
Text: Ana Mangana
