NEWS
ADB provides US $ 320,000 grant to ECOWAS digital financial operations
Verde , Ghana , Guinea , Gambia , Guinea Bissau , Liberia , Mali , Niger , Nigeria , Senegal , Sierra Leone and Togo .
The grant will be disbursed through the Africa Digital Financial Inclusion Facility , a blended finance vehicle , supported by the bank .
The Board of Directors of the African
Development Bank ( ADB ) has awarded a grant of US $ 320 , 535 to the West African Monetary Agency to mainstream gender in ECOWAS ’ core digital financial services ( DFS ) regulatory frameworks .
According to ADB , the funds will support a gender gap analysis of several WAMA strategies including those for financial inclusion , gender disaggregation data analytics , digital payment services and infrastructure , and digital identity .
The project , to be executed over a three year period , will potentially affect 350 million people in all 15 ECOWAS nations comprising : Benin , Burkina Faso , Cote d ’ Ivoire , Cabo
“ With a secretariat comprising all the 15 ECOWAS central banks , WAMA plays a pivotal role in the consolidation and implementation of strategic financial inclusion objectives . ADFI and the WAMA project team will work closely with other ecosystem players in the region to ensure harmonisation of efforts for maximum impact ,” said Sheila Okiro , Coordinator , ADFI .
The project has the potential to raise by 35 % women ’ s participation in digital financial market operations in the region , which has a higher gender disparity than other parts of the continent .
First Digital enables frontline workers with digital solutions
First Technology Digital , a future-enabled partner for Digital Transformation , digital workplaces and Machine Learning , has placed a serious focus on empowering the local frontline worker , aligning to Microsoft ’ s approach of improving productivity and engagement by connecting employees with the tools needed to do their best work .
Gabriel Malherbe , Management Executive , First Digital , said these employees frequently turn to the use of manual systems and unknown consumer technology in order to complete their work and these unrecognised , unauthorised apps and devices – also known as ‘ shadow IT ’ – can pose a serious security risk to a company .
“ Microsoft estimates , according to internal data from November 2019 , that there is an average of 181 or more Software-as-a-Service ( SaaS ) apps in use at every organisation . It ’ s not surprising then , when it comes to frontline technology , that a major priority for 74 % of IT leaders is ensuring the security of company and customer data . This is followed by two other key factors : providing relevant technology tools ( 66 %) and boosting productivity ( 59 %).”
By leveraging Microsoft 365 for frontline workers , businesses can provide these critical staff members with simple , intuitive and secure solutions , including the relevant productivity apps , an integrated hub for communication and collaboration , the ability to engage across a mobile intranet and enterprise social networking , access to files , and more .
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