Grant recipients urged to save as NamPost expands payout system

The Namibia Post Limited (NamPost) says its new digital grant accounts are designed to encourage saving among beneficiaries while maintaining access to social grant payments across the country.

Speaking during an information sharing session at the Government Information Centre on Tuesday, NamPost retail channel executive Bennie Jakobs said NamPost is moving into a second phase focused on financial inclusion.

“Phase one was just to onboard the beneficiaries into the NamPost ecosystem. Phase two is financial inclusion,” he said.

He said the grant account allows beneficiaries, many of whom are unbanked, to keep their money safe instead of withdrawing the full amount at once.

“The grant account is a store of value. The beneficiary can decide whether to withdraw, transfer or save the money,” he said.

Jakobs said the initiative aims to dignify the unbanked by integrating grant recipients into Namibia’s formal financial system through the Bank of Namibia’s instant payment ecosystem.

At the same time, he stressed that NamPost continues to prioritise nationwide access to grant payments through its hybrid distribution model.

“We have over 150 branches across the country and mobile teams that visit about 900 government-established pay points,” he said.

He clarified that the pay points are determined by the government, not NamPost.

“Pay points in the rural areas still exist and NamPost visits those pay points with mobile teams,” he said.

He added that beneficiaries in remote areas should not worry about access as the programme follows the same government-approved schedule used previously.

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