BALAKA (MaraPost)–Beneficiaries of the social cash transfer programme in Malawi will now have a chance to access their money at their convenient time, thanks to the launch of an electronic payment system through the First Merchant Bank (FMB).
The government in partnership with the Irish Aid through FMB officially launched the new initiative at Che-Mbera trading center in eastern district of Balaka.
The aim cash transfer programme is to address poverty and extreme hunger, and has been up upgraded to electronic money payment through FMB bank accounts in order for beneficiaries to easily and effectively access cash without delays.
Minister of Gender, Children and Social Welfare, Mary Clara Makungwa, who preisded over the launching ceremony, said the social cash transfer programme is one of the development projects that government is focusing on with the purpose of alleviating poverty in the country.
Her ministry has put intense efforts to increase the number of beneficiaries from 28 thousand to 319 thousand in all the districts before the end of this year, she said.
Earlier, beneficiaries of the programme had been receiving the money through social welfare agents, a development many said was not convenient as they were being forced to travel long distances to convene at one particular place to receive the money.
