Purchasing fuel through a mobile phone

Tuesday, 14 July 2009

A new initiative by cellular company, Zain Uganda, will allow clients to pay for fuel purchases via their mobile handsets through the new ZAP service.

ZAP service, launched in Uganda at the beginning of last week, has been a huge success with major fuel companies. Shell, Total and Mogas have all embraced the service, thereby enhancing its popularity.

"Customers will now be able to buy fuel, purchase goods in the station shops and even get service at the appropriate station bays all over Uganda using their Zap money," said Angela Kenyonza, Zain's M-Commerce Manager in a statement.

Zain customers also benefit from being able to access the service 24 hours a day, seven days a week, through their handset menu, and enjoy the convenience of having access to cash anytime.

The ZAP service also provides a full range of services from mobile phones; from banking and bill payments, to airtime purchase and money transfers.

The full ZAP services has been operational in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda for several months, making mobile banking services available to more than 100 million people in East Africa.

The ZAP service is provided through the partnership between Standard Chartered Bank and Zain Uganda.

"Zain's initiative has the potential to provide millions of people with access to convenient financial services for the first time... The ability to move money with a mobile phone is changing the landscape of financial services," said Gail Galuppo, Executive Vice President of Western Union.

ZAP also provides for the easy transfer of money from one country to another, through Western Unions international network. This gives people an opportunity to send money home when working abroad.

According to industry group Aite, people living outside their country of origin sent nearly $400 billion in remittances around the globe in 2008. Sub-Saharan Africa alone received an estimated $10.8 billion in remittances in 2007.