The National Social Security Fund (CNSS) launched on May 31, 2023 at its headquarters in Ouagadougou the activities of digitizing the payments of its pensioners, in partnership with the Financial Inclusion and Access Support Project. financing small and medium-sized enterprises (PAIF-PME) and Orange money. This ceremony was marked by the signing of the contract between the Caisse and Orange money in the presence of the PAIF-PME coordinator, Séraphin Kientéga.
It’s done. From now on, CNSS pensioners can receive their pensions through Orange money, by subscribing at the level of the regional offices of the Fund. The signature of the partnership contract between Orange money and the CNSS concerning mass payment of social benefits (pensions, family allowance, annuity, etc.) took place on May 31 at the headquarters of the Fund. According to the director general (DG) of the CNSS, Herman Yacouba Nacambo, its structure is in the process of dematerializing its procedures. For this purpose, while a number of policyholders are already in the banking system, others continue to be paid at the fund. Also, with the security situation, banking institutions are no longer there in some localities. This makes it increasingly difficult to pay at the checkout. The objective of the CNSS is to make life easier for its pensioners by offering them faster, more secure and more efficient access to their benefits. This eliminates the constraints and delays often associated with cash payments.
The transaction costs covered by the PAIF-PME…
This procedure takes effect from this day 1is June 2023 for subscribed pensioners who come under the Ouagadougou regional office. As for the other regional directorates, the procedure will be effective from next July, according to the DG of the CNSS. The materialization of this procedure is the result of a long process initiated by the project to support financial inclusion and access to financing for small and medium-sized enterprises (PAIF-PME) with the CNSS since 2019 according to its coordinator, Seraphin Kientega. As part of the implementation of this project, an important component is devoted to the digitization of government payments, in particular the digitization of pensioner payments. It is in this context that the project intervenes to support the CNSS in digitizing the minimal portion (5%) which is not yet in the banking circuit. In this agreement, the role of the PAIF-PME is to bear the transaction costs related to the transfer of funds possibly between the CNSS and the pensioners until 2025, end of the project.
The association of pensioners satisfied
Beyond the digitization of pensions, the PAIF-PME also supports the CNSS in modernizing its IT infrastructure. The representative of the CEO of Orange money, Laurent Birba, marketing manager, praised the CNSS for choosing his company to facilitate this financial inclusion. For him, “What could be more normal than for a major partner like our company to support the digitalization project underway by the CNSS? Because despite the security context, Orange money is present throughout the territory 24 hours a day”. Boureima Ouédraogo, president of the national association of pensioners of Burkina Faso, did not hide his satisfaction for this initiative. Because, he says, “This contract is welcome. We are delighted to see that the CNSS is innovating. Currently, there is talk of the compulsory banking of all pensions. Which would undoubtedly create a lot of problems for us pensioners, because there are always towns in Burkina where you have to travel more than 100 km or even more to have access to a bank. This would create both physical and economic problems. With this partnership, we can avoid these problems”.
Aïcha TRAORE
