The government has unveiled what it refers to as a cutting-edge and timely technological solution that aims to simplify the distribution of PDM program monies across the nation.
Wendi, a digital wallet, offers group administration for SACCOS (savings and credit cooperative organizations) and financial services for the unbanked to promote financial inclusion.
Wendi was formally launched by state minister for microfinance Haruna Kyeyune Kasolo on Tuesday at the Bukedea district office.
“Given that the majority of Ugandans reside in rural areas, it is important for the government to develop new strategies for getting in touch with everyone. The future is digital, according to Kasolo.
He urged all Parish Development Model (PDM) program participants to adopt Wendi since it serves as a link between the informal banking system and the unbanked.
“…And the door to economic development opens when every adult Ugandan is included in the financial sector.”
Members of PDM SACCOS will be able to easily access their money through phone at any time and from any location thanks to Wendi.
The state-owned Postbank and the telecommunications operator MTN Uganda created Wendi with the goal of assisting PDM members in efficiently and effectively accessing and managing their accounts.
For voluntarily partnering with the Government of Uganda on this social-economic development journey, Kasolo praised PostBank and MTN Uganda.
One must sign up with a mobile number and a government-issued ID card in order to use Wendi services.
After that, one can transfer money, save in PDM groups, obtain microloans, and make deposits and withdrawals.
PDM SACCOS members from the Ngora, Kumi, and Bukedea districts were welcomed and enrolled into the Wendi system prior to the launch,No more waiting in line.
“It is very user-friendly, and we are treating it as a sigh of relief because we do not have to struggle with long lines at the banking institutions anymore,” said Samuel Okiror, the chairperson of Kamaluk – Kangole PDM SACCO.
Sylvia Mulinge, the chief executive officer of MTN Uganda, reaffirmed the company’s commitment to bringing the Wendi innovation to all parts of the nation.
Mulinge stated, “We are here to assist the government’s ongoing efforts to ensure a financially empowered society.
The invention of Wendi, according to PostBank managing director Julius Kakeeto, was motivated by the difficulties that Ugandans in remote places faced in obtaining PDM services.
Moses Godfrey Otim of the Bukedea District Commercial Office praised the Government and its partners for “thinking outside the box by bridging the glaring gap in PDM implementation thus far.”
Leaders from Ngora, Kumi, and Bukedea attended the ceremony together with representatives from Housing Finance Bank, led by Angela Ndawula, head of business and industrial banking, investment house.
The Parish Development Model in a nutshell
According to the National Development Plan III, PDM is a strategy to development that involves multiple ministers and state agencies.
The parish serves as the lowest level administrative and operational hub in this case, bringing services closer to the public in an effort to support regional economic growth.
The PDM program was introduced in 2022 in the Kibuku district with the following mission statement: “Transforming from Subsistence to Monetary Economy through Increased Production and Productivity for Improved Household Incomes and Livelihoods.”
With the goal of integrating people into the formal economy, the program focuses on the 39% of Ugandans who are involved in subsistence agriculture in parish-level spectrum zones.
