Third Technology Forum, Yaoundé, Cameroun. 1-2 July 2008
Neptune Software, in partnership with Horus Development Finance, attended the Third Technology Forumin Yaoundé, Cameroon, on July 1 and 2, 2008, organized by CGAP and its regional program CAPAF.
The Forum brought together financial service providers and technical solutions providers for technical workshops on using new technology to increase access to financial services. Neptune Software promoted its microfinance banking solution called Orbit.
Despite the growth of the microfinance industry, most of the millions of poor people who live in Africa do not have access to traditional banking services. To reach these millions, access must be provided on a much more ambitious scale. Financial sectors throughout Africa are evolving rapidly and require innovations to expand access, increase efficiency and reduce costs. While some African financial institutions have made headway in using cell phones to provide services and are introducing internet banking in a few countries, the retail financial service sector is still behind in the widespread use of technologies such as ATMs (though their numbers are growing), PoS, and adequate MIS. Why do so few financial service providers in Africa use technology? The primary reason is lack of knowledge -- about the different technologies available, the service providers, the costs and implementation strategies, etc… In addition to their need for information about new technologies, African financial service providers also need proven systems that are priced to fit their financial capacity.
The 2008 Technology Forum offered an opportunity to share experiences and opportunities among a diverse range of participants, including MIS providers, telecommunications specialists, credit bureau and credit scoring experts, m-banking providers, banks, MFIs and other financial service providers. Given the success of the two prior Technology Forums (in 2004 in Ouagadougou and in 2006 in Dakar), the 2008 Forum was built on the same format of focused two-hour technical sessions with panels of experts and a parallel tradeshow running throughout the day. This year’s themes included MIS, the link between social protection and technology, and mobile banking.
