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Mobile money network interoperability is still a disaster in Uganda. What seems like a simple solution for banking the unbanked and powering the digital economy has been purposely rendered incoherent and largely useless. Case in point:
I’ve had my Orange/Africell line since around 2010. I have no desire to change it. However, this decision leaves me largely out in the MM cold. Now none of the networks play nice with each other, but when it comes to MM in Uganda, @africellUG is the bastard child.
Last week, a client sent a payment to my @africellUG before verifying that I actually use it for MM. in the interest of customer service I said it’s fine, I’ll sort it out. I knew it’d be a headache so I put it off until today when I decided to approach @Africell.
And then the fun began… I explained to the nice lady what the problem was: An @mtnug client sent me money on my @africellUG line. Can I withdraw?
She looked at me as if I’d just asked her to explain the Pythagorean theorem. She then pointed me to MTN.
“If sender is on MTN, you go to MTN to withdraw”
Me:
, 
Her:
Me:
“If sender is on MTN, you go to MTN to withdraw”
Me:
, Her:
Me:
Now imagine if this is how the fiat banking system operated:
A client sends your payment to your bank. You arrive at your bank only to be told you have to withdraw it at your client’s bank. Hold this thought…
A client sends your payment to your bank. You arrive at your bank only to be told you have to withdraw it at your client’s bank. Hold this thought…
So I head over to the mtn booth. I explain again what my issue is:
Lady 1: ohhh you have to go back to @africellUG. We don’t do that here.
Lady 2: I don’t have float. Go to another agent.
Me:
I head back to Africell
Lady 1: ohhh you have to go back to @africellUG. We don’t do that here.
Lady 2: I don’t have float. Go to another agent.
Me:
I head back to Africell
Me: “Excuse me lady. Can you come with me a sec?” I drag the @Africell lady to MTN (she came willingly, no physicality involved).
They biki biki amongst themselves. And the she says, “you need a secret code.”
Me: wait, a what?
Them in unison: a secret code. Like 4 digits.
They biki biki amongst themselves. And the she says, “you need a secret code.”
Me: wait, a what?
Them in unison: a secret code. Like 4 digits.
So now I need a secret code like it’s 4th grade hide and seek. Then they tell me
“Actually, the forex across the street can do it.”
Me: the forex. Across the street can do it?
Then: yeah, see, the forex across the street.
Me:
“Actually, the forex across the street can do it.”
Me: the forex. Across the street can do it?
Then: yeah, see, the forex across the street.
Me:
I arrive at the forex dude’s counter. Unfortunately he’s busy in the middle of a fight with his employees behind the counter. Banging drawers open and shut as they’re all biki biki-ING amongst themselves, oblivious that I just said hello twice.
Cleeeeeearly, came at the wrong time. I walk out and regret the two hours I just lost bouncing between superficial walled gardens.
Now imagine if this was how fiat currency worked! You get to the @AbsaUganda counter, only to be told that you can’t get your money because 1) the bank was out of money, and 2) you needed to withdraw from your client’s bank. Oh, and you needed a secret code to do it.
I’ve been enjoying @eversendapp immensely because it does what @BankofUganda should have done by now: Mandate full interoperability of the digital currencies. It’s absolutely bonkers that these superficial walled gardens exist in our mobile money system.
There are 28m mobile money subscribers in Uganda, mostly on between @Airtel_Ug & @mtnug. We currently lack a fully interoperable mobile money payment system where anyone in the country - regardless of network - can be paid. This to me, is not the digital economy we were promised.
