December 12 2014, Freetown, Sierra Leone – The Government of Sierra Leone, through the National Ebola Response Centre (NERC) will for the first time pay hazard payments to Ebola Response Workers (ERWs) using mobile money. This marks an important shift from cash payments since November, when NERC took over, to an electronic solution that improves the overall efficiency, timeliness and security of payments for the ERWs.
The transition to electronic payments will bolster the effectiveness of fiscal operations through efficient receipts and payments, and security of transactions targeting the ERWs. It will help to eliminate wastes and leakages and ensure a strong transaction audit trail. This cycle of hazard payments will be made from December 15, 2014 to December 19, 2014 through a consortium of private sector partners, namely Airtel, Africell, and Splash Money.
The ERWs will be notified of their payments via SMS with over 5,000 pay-out locations across the country provided through the existing network of last-mile agents by Airtel, Africell and Splash Money. For those without registered mobile numbers, at least 38 new agents along with NERC’s District Cash Payment Teams, will be deployed to verify and make payments. The payment schedule and mode of payment will also be communicated through the Radio, reaching 100% of the population in the country. Most important, the Government has established a call center during the duration of this payment cycle to answer any queries by the ERWs.
The Government through NERC will continue to build the payment ecosystem for the workers who are fighting Ebola at the frontline. In order to improve the transparency and responsiveness of the payment system, NERC is working closely with its development partners to implement a robust database management system for real-time verification of ERW’s location and status. This is a critical step towards ensuring that all ERWs continue to receive their payments on time.
The digitization of hazard payments not only improves security, efficiency and cost savings for the Government and for the recipients, but can also promote broader long-term economic growth and individual financial empowerment.
