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Online purchases, payment of invoices, payment of administrative and registration fees for students, transfers of money … In short, the list of transactions that are being made today in Côte d'Ivoire via mobile money, credit cards or bank cards is long. Ivorians have developed a craze of the most unexpected, especially for mobile money.
In 2018, the volume of daily financial transactions via mobile money is estimated at 17 billion CFA francs. Although mobile money was initially used for money transfers, its use has evolved and is also used for the payment of bills (water, electricity, etc.), registration fees in schools and administrative competitions, and also in e-commerce.
Mobile money. According to recent figures put forward by the former minister in charge of the digital economy, Bruno Koné, 10 million Ivorians currently have a mobile money account, ie around 40% of the Ivorian population. But, as the official figures illustrate, the use of mobile money is much more oriented towards financial transactions (deposit, sending or withdrawal of money) than the payment of goods and services. With regard to the payment of competition or registration fees, it is obvious that it is its compulsory nature (instituted by the State) which leads the populations to subscribe to them.
To reread: to banking and financial services / What plagues the rate of banking in Côte d'Ivoire
In fact, for this type of transactions (purchases of goods and services online, payment of bills, etc.), it is rare to have official statistics on the number of people engaged in it. In fact, many mobile subscribers are reluctant to use mobile money for commercial purposes. There are several reasons for this state of affairs. First, the low penetration in terms of Internet coverage of the national territory. Few people use the computer tool to buy goods or obtain services, preferring to use traditional means. Also, many localities do not have internet access. In some parts of the country, access to a simple mobile phone network is not easy. So, we prefer to be limited to basic services, easily accessible. But, beyond these considerations, there is the question of security that is feared. "Sometimes you make a purchase, you take money from your account and yet the operation was not successful. Suddenly, it is you who lose your money because you have no proof to show that you were levied for such an operation, "denounced teacher Guy Lévy. He noted these same concerns with regard to the payment of bills.
Credit cards and bank cards. The realities are not so different, whether to use credit cards and / or credit or mobile money to do business. "The disadvantage is that sometimes the system bugues. It can also happen that the machine tells you that you have no more available balance when in reality, you still have, "says Bénima Marie, a commercial company in the place. "I have not yet opted for this method of payment, because I do not trust the security measures that surround online or electronic payment transactions," added Alméida Paul, a company executive. [19659003] Apart from these grievances, some interviewees mention, in particular with regard to credit cards, samples that sometimes prove to be high. Indeed, the use of a credit card is subject to fees (annual, monthly, but also when withdrawing cash). The cases of free education, we learn, are rare. Also, the issue of credit limits is one that does not always motivate the use of credit cards. "For a bank card, for example, there is a limit of use where I would not want to have a card that I use without fearing an expiration," laments a business leader.
It's moving. In any case, the electronic payment is part of the logic of dematerialization (digitization) of services. It appears as a means easier to make financial transactions, commercial, etc. While they carry risks, the benefits of using digital technology in people's lives are not to be overlooked. "A bank card is convenient, fast and reliable. It saves you from having cash on you, with the risk of aggression that can be encountered in our streets. It can be used everywhere, "says a manager of a bank insurance company. Ditto for a credit card, which, according to our interlocutor, can be used even when traveling to another country.
In Ivory Coast, although we do not have at every street corner distributors, the use of cards is gradually gaining momentum, with the development of a middle class that represents nearly a quarter of the Ivorian population. Also, with the installation in Abidjan of the world's leading credit card publisher, the American Visa, it is likely that more people will adapt to this method of payment. Hence the need for service providers, small shops, etc., to have payment terminals.
Should we note, to date, these are supermarkets, luxury hotels , large restaurants, some pharmacies, private clinics of high standing, etc., which admit the use of credit cards.
Elysee LATH
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