Mayamiko Nkoloma, a Malawian lecturer in Telecommunications at the University of Malawi has changed the lives of city dwellers in Lilongwe.
The 2018 ITU telecom world global SME award winner for the greatest social impact developed an electronic system, iMoSyS, that allows residents to pay for water at kiosks electronically.
His product, the e-Madzi (e-water) requires residents to use their credit cards or MoMo to pay for water.
The project has been implemented in communal water points in peri-urban areas. The initiative can, however, limit the have-nots’ access to water. Social activists have criticized the innovation saying that it robs residents of the right to water.
Apart from kiosks, the innovation is now being used in homes for personal water consumption.
Those who support the innovation say it has helped them stop paying for water stolen or lost before reaching their homes.
Meanwhile, residents say the innovation helps them minimize spread of Coronavirus because they don’t have to exchange cash while paying for the water.
source https://taarifa.rw/in-malawi-residents-use-debit-cards-mobile-money-to-pay-for-water/
