By 
By Oluwatobi Opusunju
Microsoft Cooperation and Ecobank Transnational Incorporated , parent company of pan-African banking group Ecobank have both signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to drive Digital Transformation in Africa.
The collaboration ensued from increasing pressure on African cities due to urbanisation and the need to provide services that will ensure a healthier and safer environment, delivered in a fair, open and sustainable manner.
According to Ecobank, through a press release that was made available on its site , the MOU is set to see the modernisation of sectors that will have the most immediate and significant impact for African countries. These sectors will include bursary disbursements and school fee collections in the education sector; market shop and small vendor municipality collections, vehicle and driving licensing as well as eVisa and ePassport fee collections. The agreement also supports the implementation of a comprehensive e-skills and a digital literacy programme. Other key areas such as land registration and fee collections in the municipal and hospital services are all expected to see some tremendous modernisation.
Ecobank Group CEO, Ade Ayeyemi while speaking on the partnership with Microsoft harped that the deal will help increase financial inclusion in Africa .
“Microsoft is a globally recognised brand. We are delighted to partner with Microsoft to move faster on our digital transformation strategy- the main focus of which is to increase financial inclusion in Africa,” said
Similarly, the General Manager for Microsoft, Amr Kamel noted that the aim is to help societies digitally transform into an intelligent ecosystem in order to greatly improve lives through optimized operations etc.
“At Microsoft, our aim is to help societies digitally transform, from the single consumer to entire government departments. Any nation properly supported by technology can transform into an intelligent ecosystem, capable of engaging with its citizens, empowering employees and optimizing operations to vastly improve lives,” he noted.
