GOVERNMENT COLLECTS 6 TRILLION REVENUE THROUGH NMB DIGITAL CHANNELS

NMB Bank Chief Executive Officer, Ruth Zaipuna (left) hands over a dummy cheque of TZS 150 million to the Secretary General of ALAT Elirehema Kaaya (right) as part of the bank’s sponsorship towards the association’s annual general meeting held in Dodoma today. Looking on from left are are the bank’s Chief of Wholesale Banking, Alfred Shao, Zonal Manager for Central Zone, Nsolo Mlozi and Head; Government Business and Capital Office,Vicky Bishubo.

The government has called on local government authorities (LGAs) to boost their fiscal operations by increasing use of digital channels and NMB Bank today said it has already put in place the requisite infrastructure to support the endeavour.

The Bank’s Chief Executive Officer Ruth Zaipuna told President Samia Suluhu Hassan that in the three years the government managed to collect revenues worth TZS 6 trillion through its digital platforms.

Ms Zaipuna made the revelation before the head of state officiated the opening of the extraordinary congress to elect national leaders of the Association of Local Government Authorities of Tanzania (ALAT).

“Through our huge investments in digital innovations and virtual service delivery platforms, NMB Bank is now a key stakeholder of the government in revenue collection,” she said when addressing the gathering as the lead sponsor.

“During the three years ending June 2021 government revenue worth TZS 6 trillion was collected through NMB Bank’s innovative digital systems which we have invested in heavily to put in place,” CEO Zaipuna added noting that the lender was also a strategic partner of the government in undertaking flagship infrastructure mega projects.

Commending NMB Bank and other stakeholders for supporting organisation of the ALAT three-day gathering, Mama Samia said the new leaders of the decentralization lobby should see to it that its members go fiscally digital.

She challenged them to ensure all LGAs revenue collections and spending to be done and recorded using new technologies for efficiency and good governance purposes.

“The new ALAT leaders should be champions of deployment and use of ICT in local governments operations for effective delivery of services and management of resources,” Mama Samia emphasized.

Ms Zaipuna told the head of state that local government authorities (LGAs) have for many years now been a strategic business and development partner of the bank pointing out that the lender is unrivalled when it comes to working closely with local governments.

She said NMB solutions are 100 per cent available at the district level since it is the only bank that has a branch in every district. According to her, most of the bank’s social investments are made in LGAs’ jurisdictions where majority of the targeted beneficiaries live.

Ms Zaipuna said the one per cent of the post-tax profit NMB Bank has been setting aside for philanthropic causes for 10 years now has made life better for many Tanzanians.

The NMB leader told over 500 participants of the ALAT meeting from 185 city, district and municipal councils that to date the bank’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) investment, which focus on education, health and natural disasters, have amounted to over TZS 12 billion.

“Statistically, more than 1,300 schools countrywide have received over 85,000 desks with over 600 health centres getting medical equipment while more than 80,000 Tanzanians have been trained in financial literacy and over one million benefitting from our programmes to help the needy during disasters, including the COVID-19 pandemic,” reads part of her speech.

She said early this month NMB Bank launched the not-for-profit NMB Foundation to help broaden its social investment efforts and closely serve communities.

The bank also impressed Mama Samia with its “Mwendo wa Upepo” marathon initiative to collect TZS 1 billion in four years to help treat 240 fistula patients at CCBRT. Ms Zaipuna said the inaugural race last Saturday surpassed the set annual target of collecting TZS 250 million.

“The participation response was so impressive that we exceeded the first year target and collected TZS 400 million and all these funds have already been handed over to CCBRT to help treat 100 mothers who we believe will come from various councils,” the NMB leader said.