UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, saw Opportunity International Bank of Malawi's mobile bank in action during his visit to the UN Millennium Village in Mwandama, Malawi on 30 May 2010.

"The Secretary General took time to talk with one of our customers who had just made a deposit. She had her 'smartcard' in her hand and explained how she uses the card to access her secure savings account," said Alefa Mtunga, OIBM's Manager for the Southern Region, who also met Mr. Ban.  


Mr Ban (l.) meets OIBM CEO Aleksandr Kalanda and Alefa Mtunga (both r.) 

Staff  and clients (r.) await the arrival of Mr. Ban

Transformation in action  

Mr. Ban visited Mwandama Village to witness the significant progress the community is making. 

"I congratulate the leadership of the village and the whole community – especially the women of Mwandama – for their hard work and their commitment to a better life for their children and for generations to come," he said at a press conference. 

"Today, I call on every country to look closely at this success. It is a case study in what is possible, even in the poorest places in the world."

Located in southern Malawi, Mwandama was one of the communities worst affected by  the 2005 drought. The village and the surrounding communities became Malawi's first 'Millennium Village'. 

The objective of the project is to support rural households escape the poverty trap. OIBM's 'bank-on-wheels' makes regular visits to the village, providing much-needed access to financial services and training. 

"Africa is rich - rich in resources, rich in human potential"

In his speech to the Malawian Parliament, Mr. Ban said: 

"Africa's people need neither pity nor charity. They need only the tools to create jobs and generate incomes." 

Watch OIBM's mobile bank in action

The mobile bank has been featured in a video (embedded below) by the Millennium Villages. 

The video, 'Three seasons: Progress in the Millennium Villages', reports on the progress being made in Mwandama.

“Three years ago the farmers were just here in Mwandama to get free farm inputs, but now the same farmers are queuing to open accounts, deposit money from the sales of their farm produce. We are seeing an economic transformation …“ says Flora Kaluwile, Enterprise Development Coordinator, Millennium Villages Project.

The video is 14 mins - to see OIBM's mobile bank in action and the difference financial services are making, scroll to 7:06:

Three Seasons: Progress in the Millennium Villages from Millennium Promise on Vimeo.