By Our Reporter, Mkuranga
The ongoing community program for financial literacy, inclusive banking services, environmental conservation, and clean cooking energy for rural residents, “NMB Kijiji Day” continued last weekend in Kimanzichana Ward, Mkuranga District, Pwani Region.
NMB Kijiji Day, organized by NMB Bank in partnership with strategic ally Taifa Gas, aims to deliver financial education and inclusive banking services to over 2,000 unbanked villages. The program also includes tree-planting activities and a variety of sporting events.
Addressing participants at the program’s seminar, Dismas Prosper, Zonal Manager, Group Sales and Rural Banking Services at NMB Headquarters, urged social groups, villagers and entrepreneurs including nutrition groups and motorcycle-taxi operators to take advantage of the Group Account offering.
Prosper encouraged attendees to formally register their groups by opening an NMB Group Account to benefit from insurance, loans and digital inclusive financial services, thereby accelerating their development and economic growth.
“The NMB Group Account bundles several positive services that can fast-track the economic growth of groups and their members. It is important that borrowing is done purposefully to speed up development for both groups and individual members,” he said.
He explained that the Group Account is a solution for managing group funds, enabling each member to track and benefit from their money while helping both individual members and groups as a whole to meet financial goals and planned expenditures.
He noted that the benefits of the NMB Group Account include secure group funds, simple digital account opening and savings, and clear, accurate financial information for every member. He also emphasized that, in addition to group accounts, members of social groups should open individual accounts to access a range of services, including Mshiko Fasta, a conditional-free loan product that can provide a client with up to TZS 1 million without guarantees or lengthy paperwork.
Speaking for the marketing department of Taifa Gas, Henry Muya told participants that his company is well prepared to ensure environmental conservation education and the promotion of clean cooking energy reach both urban and rural populations.
Muya said villagers, in particular, must recognize that clean cooking energy is not exclusively for urban residents but for everyone, to avoid the harmful effects associated with the use of firewood and charcoal, which cause environmental degradation.
Reacting to the financial training and education provided during the seminar, Abdallah Omar said he was impressed by the NMB Group Account and group insurance, and thanked NMB while urging the bank to accelerate outreach to rural social groups.
“Where we come from there are many social groups; we already benefit because through this seminar we have learned how to manage our money properly, the advantages of formalizing our groups, and, importantly, group insurance that can provide support when a member dies,” he said.
Mariam Suleiman, who introduced herself as a member of the Kimanzichana Women and Development Group, said she appreciated the education on group health insurance provided in the seminar, noting that a major challenge for rural residents is the ability to meet medical expenses.
During the seminar, various topics related to the financial sector including affordable loans and insurance were presented to participants by Robert Mtimba, NMB Bank’s Rural Banking sales manager, who also urged attendees to avoid unnecessary expenditures to accelerate their economic progress.
