Residents of Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State are benefiting from improved access to financial services following a large-scale financial inclusion initiative by eTranzact International Plc, under which the onboarding of over 1,000 agents and the deployment of thousands of PocketMoni terminals across communities in the area are ongoing.

The initiative, which was launched through the company’s PocketMoni Business platform, was designed to expand access to digital financial services in underserved communities while creating income opportunities for residents and small business owners.

Executed in collaboration with the Zonal Community Development Committee (CDC), Obafemi Owode, the programme forms part of eTranzact’s commitment to extending financial services beyond urban centres and bringing convenient banking solutions closer to the grassroots.

The growing network of agents and terminals now enables residents to carry out everyday transactions, including cash withdrawals, transfers, bill payments and other financial services within their communities, reducing the need to travel long distances to access banking services.

Gboyega Kareem Adeleke, chairman of the Zonal Community Development Committee (CDC), Obafemi Owode, described the initiative as a significant step towards improving financial access and economic activity within the local government area.

“Before PocketMoni came, our people had to travel far for simple withdrawals and bill payments. Today, those services are available within our communities through people we know and trust. This is development that directly impacts lives, and we commend eTranzact for bringing these opportunities to the grassroots,” he said.

Speaking on the initiative, Olalekan Disu, divisional head, Financial Inclusion, eTranzact International Plc, said the project highlights the impact of taking financial services directly to communities.

“Financial inclusion is not just about opening access to financial products; it is about creating opportunities and building trust within communities. By empowering local agents and deploying thousands of terminals, we are helping to stimulate economic activity, create livelihoods and make financial services more accessible to people at the grassroots,” he said.

Disu added that the success recorded in Obafemi Owode reinforces the importance of community engagement in driving sustainable financial inclusion and supporting Nigeria’s transition to a more digitally enabled economy.

According to the company, the initiative forms part of a broader strategy to bridge financial access gaps across rural and semi-urban communities while advancing national financial inclusion objectives. Following the positive response from residents and community stakeholders, eTranzact said it plans to replicate the model across other local government areas in the south-west, further expanding access to secure, convenient and affordable digital financial services.

Modestus Anaesoronye is a leading Nigerian financial journalist with over two decades of experience reporting on the insurance and pension sectors across Nigeria and West Africa. He has held key editorial positions at major national media outlets, including The Comet, The Nation, and Financial Standard, and currently serves as a Senior Financial Analyst at BusinessDay Media Ltd. A widely travelled reporter, he has covered industry developments in more than 14 countries across Africa and Asia. Anaesoronye is a multiple award-winning journalist, honoured several times as Insurance Journalist of the Year and Pension Journalist of the Year by recognised industry bodies, including PensionScope and the Pension Fund Operators Association of Nigeria (PenOp), among others.

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