development 49
The Republic of Mali has one of the highest birth rates in the world ( women have on average 6.8 children ) and the costs of childbirth can quickly exhaust a family ’ s income . In the absence of proper savings channels , many women are forced to rely on informal self-help groups for savings .
Mali also has a high maternal mortality rate , with almost 5 % women dying due to childbirth . In a global comparison of maternal mortality rates conducted by Lancet ( 2010 ), Mali ranks 165th out of 181 of countries with the highest maternal mortality rates ( 181st marking highest maternal mortality rate ).
Overall , women of reproductive age face many challenges in Mali especially access to health services . About 54 in every 1000 women die during childbirth although it could be preventable if they had access to health facilities and beneficiated from assisted delivery . Only 45 % of women give birth at a health facility and 51 % of women do not have access to a skilled medical professional . This situation is due to many factors including : lack of information on healthy timing and spacing of pregnancy , poor access to health systems , and lack of money to deal with complications that may occur during delivery .
About 54 in every 1000 women die during childbirth …
At MFS Africa , we believe these kinds of problems can be alleviated by cuttingedge technology ( mobile phone ) applied with smart process engineering . To deliver on our belief , we have partnered with Orange Mali , PSI and NSIA to bring TIN GELEYA to Mali women - a mobile phone-based pregnancy health insurance coverage that combines a savings account with health insurance to cover the cost of treatment for common childbirth complications . Pregnant women conveniently subscribe to the service from their Orange Mali mobile phone and contribute monthly through their Orange Money account . This allows Malian women to give birth in hospital without worrying about the cost , and thus hopefully reduce the dreadful mortality rate .
TIN GELEYA is an example of the how we at MFS Africa re-invent ‘ old ’ financial services ( health insurance ) into new , simple , relevant and accessible financial services in Africa . Our typical innovation process involves picking a service ( say a hospital protection plan ), unpack it ’ s value chain to understand the key building blocks , identifying what we can remove , add , re-mold , reduce or augment to the process to lower delivery cost and expand reach . We then repackage the service and optimise for mobile phone distribution . Mobile technology is at heart of most of our services . We love mobile phones . Unashamedly .
In February 2011 , we pioneered the distribution of life insurance through mobile with Mi-Life launched in Ghana in partnership with MTN Ghana , Microensure , UT Life and Hollard Insurance . In 2012 we launched the first mobile-based short term credit service , KwikAdvance ( www . gokwikadvance . com ) in Ghana and in Cameroon . Later the same year we launched groundbreaking online remittance services whereby recipients receive the international money transfers directly on their mobile phones , in partnership with MTN Group ( www . mtnmmo . com ) and Orange ( www . orangemoneyonline . com ).
MFS Africa was founded in 2009 with the mission to provide simple and relevant financial services for all mobile users in Africa . We focus on a few financial services for which we know demand is proven , re-engineer the services to optimise for cost-effective distribution and administration through mobile phones . We then partner with Mobile Network Operators and Financial Institutions to make the services available to mobile users . We are a diverse company of 15 nationalities spanning across 4 continents , speaking 22 languages , brought together by the profound belief that we can make lasting change to people ’ s lives , by leveraging mobile technology . We make financial services simpler to access , easier to use and more affordable for ordinary people , through the mobile phone . We focus on financial services because of their multiplier effect - a good insurance product shields people from uncertainty ; improved money transfer services
… these kinds of problems can be alleviated by cutting-edge technology ( mobile phone ) applied with smart process engineering
makes it easier for diaspora members to support their relatives at home ; using a mobile phone to pay for things online unlocks trade potential within and across borders , not to mention that it stimulates the growth of local merchants to employ people ; and easier to access and simpler-functioning credit services are oil to the wheel of the millions salaried and ‘ survival entrepreneurs ’ across Africa .
Headquartered in Mauritius , MFS Africa has offices in Accra , Abidjan , Douala , Johannesburg , and Kigali and operates in 13 markets across Africa including Benin , Botswana , Cameroon , Congo Brazzaville , Cote d ’ Ivoire , Ghana , Liberia , Madagascar , Mali , Rwanda , Uganda , Senegal and South Africa .
Contact us on g20 @ mfsafrica . com or visit mfsafrica . com