Sasai Money Transfer partners Airtel Money to expand its free services to Uganda, Nigeria, others

Pan-African money transfer operator, Sasai Money Transfer, has partnered with Airtel Money to expand its free services into several African countries starting with Uganda and including Nigeria, Kenya and Ghana. This was disclosed in a statement by the company seen by Technext. According to the statement, the partnership is aimed at furthering Sasai’s Zero Fees Initiative.

In an industry where international money transfer fees can be as high as 13 per cent, the zero fees initiative presents enormous long-term potential to contribute to the formalization of international money transfers, the bulk of which still flow through unsafe and unreliable informal channels.

The initiative by Sasai, a subsidiary of Cassava Technologies, therefore, marks another first in the remittances industry, where a Money Transfer Operator has been able to effectively collaborate with Mobile Money Operators to focus on a single goal: making money transfer services more affordable, the statement says.

Speaking about the Uganda expansion, CEO of Sasai Fintech, Darlington Mandivenga said, the partnership offers an important avenue into one of Africa’s largest remittance markets and into other African markets at large.

“As Sasai, this is where we want to be, ensuring we reach as many people as possible and ultimately leave no African behind. We are in a competitively unique position where we have been able to utilize our source market assets, operational efficiencies and group synergies while collaborating with like-minded partners such as Airtel Money to deliver innovative offerings,” the CEO said.

Sasai’s zero money transfer fees initiative

Sasai Money Transfer prides itself as one of the fastest-growing international money transfer operators, in Nigeria. Presently, it has partnered with Airtel Money to expand its Zero Fees Initiative to more African markets. Described as a revolutionary offer of free remittances.

The current reality in the African context is that informal remittances are still prevalent, by and large exceeding the volume of formal remittances flowing through official channels. This high level of informality presents a challenge for African migrants many of whom end up losing their hard-earned money to unscrupulous intermediaries.

This innovative offering, according to the company, eliminates remittance sending fees for users of the Sasai Money Transfer service in the United Kingdom and South Africa sending money to family and friends in Uganda.

Therefore, the partnership with Airtel Money ensures that the recipients in Uganda and other African countries also enjoy similar benefits by cashing out their funds for free from their Airtel Money wallet. Overall, the company said this is an end-to-end customer proposition offering unique benefits of improved access and affordability to both the sender and receiver.  

Thus, in line with its vision of a digitally connected future that leaves no African behind, Sasai is leading the charge of digitizing and formalizing remittances and making the services more accessible and affordable for all Africans. The goal, according to the company, is to close the gap between formal and informal money transfers and make sure that no one is excluded from these essential services. 

The Zero Fees initiative was first launched in May 2024 in partnership with Econet in Zimbabwe. This forerunning partnership on zero fees with EcoCash, Zimbabwe’s largest mobile money operator, has proven to be a resounding success according to the company.

It also says the offer has become very popular with senders in the UK and South Africa, offering relief from the often-exorbitant remittance fees seen in the market. Resultantly, the initiative has been described by many as an “indispensable lifeline” for families back home. 

In the wake of that success, Sasai is now expanding the initiative with Airtel Money starting with Uganda, before being extended to other high-traffic remittance Airtel markets such as Ghana, Malawi, Nigeria, Kenya and Zambia.  

Speaking on the expansion, the Managing Director of Airtel Mobile Commerce Uganda Limited, Mr. Japhet Aritho said the partnership with Sasai Money Transfer on their innovative initiative aligns with their own agenda of ensuring financial inclusivity for all Ugandans.

“This offer brings even more value to our customers, coinciding with our big consumer promotion, Vroomula Amajja, which offers customers a chance to win daily cash prizes, weekly Boda-Boda prizes and a Toyota Rav4 Hybrid by simply receiving remittances into their Airtel Money wallet,” he said.

See also: CBN warns against international money transfer to Russia, Cameroun, others

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