Behind the smooth project implementation was the accumulation of past achievements and successful experiences. One of these was NEC’s participation in a pilot project developed by Nippon Biodiesel Fuel (NBF), to develop a biofuel business in Mozambique.
The aim of the project was to build financial and information infrastructure in areas where electricity infrastructure was not yet developed. Until then, remittance services provided by mobile phone operators in neighboring Kenya had been available in some areas of the country, but the functions were limited. In many areas, there are no banks. People keep their money as “cabinet savings” at home. Since ATMs and Internet banking services are not available for money transfers, people routinely bring cash by themselves to payees or entrust money to trusted family members.
It is easy to imagine the difficulty of introducing a financial infrastructure in such circumstances. Thanks to the evolution of modern IT technologies, it has become feasible. The use of electronic money, including remittances, deposits and payments, has been made possible by solar power generation, energy storage technology, power-saving tablets and smartphones as well as non-contact IC cards that can be used without Internet access. Needless to say, for people in rural areas, which account for some 80% of the country’s population, this has made the buying, selling and trading of fertilizers and agricultural products much more efficient.
These activities were part of NEC’s efforts to strengthen the humanitarian supply chain in line with SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals). An e-voucher subsidy system in Namibia in the southwest of Africa is a good example of how these efforts have borne fruit.
The country has long provided subsidies to farmers in need. However, since they were paper-based vouchers, it had major problems with the lack of real-time data for supply decisions, information on individual beneficiaries and traceability.
NEC’s “e-voucher” management system was introduced to address the problems. NEC has provided management system through NBF to as many as 24,000 farmers in Mozambique since 2015, and its effectiveness has been proven. It has delivered some remarkable benefits:
Source link : https://www.nec.com/en/global/sdgs/innovators/project/article11.html
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Publish date : 2023-02-15 07:26:23
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