Metropolitan’s Brand and Marketing Manager Tšokolo Makeka & Metropolitan’s Head of Retail Palesa Kaloli
Bereng Mpaki
ECONET Telecom Lesotho (ETL) and Metropolitan Lesotho this week struck an agreement to enable the insurance giant’s clients to pay their premiums through the mobile operator’s EcoCash platform.
For Metropolitan Lesotho clients, the deal affords them an additional, more convenient avenue through which they can pay their insurance premiums, service their loans and investments using the mobile money platform anywhere and at any time.
For ETL, who pioneered mobile money technology in Lesotho, the partnership will give their customers more services on the EcoCash platform. This could also act as a magnet to attract new subscribers while retaining existing ones.
Speaking at the official launch of the partnership on Tuesday in Maseru, Metropolitan Lesotho’s Head of Retail Palesa Kaloli said the company had entered into the agreement as part of a strategy to find more innovative ways of making their services more accessible to customers.
The company, which is regarded as the largest insurer in the country, is introducing the new payment method ahead of its 50th anniversary of operations in Lesotho coming up in 2017.
“Econet has wide coverage with its EcoCash service, so we figured that since it can be a challenge for our customers, especially in remote areas, to pay their premiums, EcoCash would be convenient for them,” Ms Kaloli said.
She said the mobile money platform would complement the existing modes of payment for their clients, which were cash and bank transfers.
Metropolitan Lesotho’s Brand and Marketing Manager Tšokolo Makeka said the partnership was a demonstration of the company’s progress which would also enhance the company’s profile as the leading life insurer in the country.
For their part, EcoCash General Manager Motebang Moeketsi, said services on the mobile money platform had increased in leaps and bounds from just the purchase of airtime and money transfers that were available when the product was first introduced to the market in 2012.
Mr Moeketsi also said that the prevailing service rates for EcoCash usage would apply to Metropolitan payments.
Econet’s Corporate Affairs Manager Mpine Tente said the deal had the capacity to retain the company’s existing clientele with the introduction of the new service offer through EcoCash.
She also said they hoped to attract new subscribers with the new service.
“Importantly, the addition of this service also means that we are growing as a brand,” Ms Tente said.
Metropolitan Lesotho clients wishing to pay through EcoCash have to register as EcoCash subscribers. Thereafter, they can then access the Metropolitan icon under the Pay Bill sub-menu and follow the prompts.
