Bally gives out Airtel Money floats

“When you shout Bally, chi Airtel Money Float muli iwe!” – That sounded like a 12 August, 2021 campaign joke to many.

However, for Mobile Money Agents operating outside Lusaka’s Pinnacle Mall, this has become sweet reality.

The bliss is after President Hakainde Hichilema pressed his investment and finance special assistant Jito Kayumba to mobilise collateral and interest-free floating capital for a pilot project to finance small businesses run by young people.

After mobilising funds from different individuals including the President himself, Kayumba dished out K100,000 to the 65 Mobile Money Agents who operate around Pinnacle Mall as business empowerment.

With smiles wider than a man greeting his in-laws, the agents, among them Monica Lungu who is leader of the group were all ‘Bally! Bally!’ at heart as they celebrated the empowerment.

Monica explained that 20 agents had recieved K5,000 from the K100,000 and will pay back K1000 to revolving until their loan is paid.

Further, Monica explained that four agnets will get K5,000 each every month until all the agents Pinnacle Mall have had their share of the empowerment.

With Bally’s massive empowerment, Monica’s new job is to unlearn how to say ‘no float!’ as she now has enough capital for withdraws and float for deposits as she is now her own CEO at her booth.

Not to be outdone, a male agent Gift Moyo had this to say:

“The funds will increase my profit, this business…the more Capital you have the more possibilities you have to make a commission.
We really appreciate the gesture it’s not easy to be empowered. I intend to open up branches to increase my source of income.’

Meanwhile, Precious Simbole, a 26 year old new wife whose working capital had been K500 over a year said before the empowerment her daily commission was K20.

But with the empowerment, Precious testified that her daily commission had grown to a whopping K140 hitting her account every day.

In explaining the project, Kayumba said the Pinnacle Mall empowerment was a pilot project which would rolled out across the country.

Kayumba revealed that the money given to the agents was privately sourced from business persons and in their individual capacities.

He hoped that the agents would put the empowerment to good use and grow their businesses in order to drive the project further.

Kalemba April 5, 2023