Tenders Are Invited For Technical Assistance For The Governments Personal Payment System (G2p) In Car

Tenders are invited for Technical Assistance for the Governments Personal Payment System (G2P) in CAR The Central African Republic (Car) is One of the Countries with the Lowest Financial Inclusion in the Region. According to Global Findex Data; Only 13.7% of the Adult Population in Car had Access to a Bank Account in 2017 (Compared to an Average of 32.8% in the Sub-Saharan Africa Region). Debit Card Ownership is 4.2%; Compared to an Average of 16.2% in Sub-Saharan Africa (Esas). The Network of Cash Collection/Withdrawal Services is Limited; With Cash Withdrawal from a Bank or Post Office only Possible in One Tenth of the Countrys 176 Municipalities (i.e. 0.85 Banks Per 100;000 Inhabitants). The Rural Reality of Car Exacerbates Cash Management Problems. The Lack of Banks in Rural Areas not only does not Allow Rural Populations to Access Banking Services; But Any Access to Cash through a Network of Agents is Also Blocked. Since the Socio-Political Crisis that the Car Experienced in 2012-2013; The Cessation of the Supply of Financial Services in Most Localities; Compromises Financial Activities and the Retention of Civil Servants in Their Positions of Assignment; Salaries Having been Banked since 2008. In the Years following the Crisis; The Government was Keen to Preserve the Gains of Wage Banking as a Key Element in the Controlled and Transparent Management of Public Finances. As a Result; The Government has Worked Urgently for the Return of Financial Services to the Interior of the Country; But so Far only a Handful of Branches and Advanced Bank Counters have been Set up outside Bangui; As is the Case in Two Western Cities (Bouar and Berberati). The Obstacle for Financial Institutions to Redeploy Physical Antennas is the Continuing Insecurity in the Hinterland; And the Lack of State Guarantees to Support Operations. In Addition to Security Constraints; It is Important to Highlight Other Fundamental Constraints that Limit the Development of the Financial Sector in the Country; Namely the Weakness of Infrastructure (Roads and Energy). The Limited Network of Financial Distribution Throughout the Country; With a Large Majority Concentrated around the Capital (Bangui); Poses Problems of Access to Financial Services by the Vast Majority of the Population; And Makes it Almost Impossible to Conduct the Most Basic Financial Operations; Such as the Payment of Salaries and Pensions to Civil Servants; Or the Provision of Financial Assistance to Vulnerable Households. Most Central Africans Depend on Cash for Daily Transactions; Including Retail Purchases; Payment of Utility Bills; Remittances and Agricultural Payments. Unbanked Adults Report High Costs and Lack of Confidence as Major Barriers to Financial Inclusion. Access to Mobile Banking and Mobile Payments Also Remains Limited by Mobile Penetration (25.7% in 2020). However; The Development of Electronic Payment; Or Digital Payment; Also Appears as an Innovative Approach to Deal with Increased Security Risks and Frequent Attacks on Bank Branches; Especially on Payroll as has been the Case in the Past. The Availability of Digital Payments Helps Financial Institutions and Payment Service Providers Mitigate the Challenges of Traditional and Limited Payment Channels and Expand its National Coverage of Financial Services. In 2016; Only 9.3% of Adults had Made or Received a Digital Payment; But There is No Data Specifically on the Current Volume of Payments/Cash Transfers by the Government to the People (g2p) or Consolidated Records. Currently; Mobile Transfers are Offered by the Two Main Mobile Operators (Orange and Telecel); However; Only Orange Money Implements the Governments g2p Payment Programs in Partnership with Ecobank Bank because the Regulations in Force in Cemac Associate a Mobile Operator with a Bank in Order to Authorize a Mobile Money Payment Platform. There are Few Government Payment Programs in the Central African Republic (Car); And this Concerns only 4% of the Population (Global Findex; 2017). Yet the National Development Plan (Rcpca; 2017-2023) Focuses on Social Protection as a Key Intervention to Reduce Poverty and Vulnerability in the Country. Social Safety Nets in Car are Currently Administered by Humanitarian Agencies and Development Partners; While the Government is Developing its Own Capacity to do So. A National Social Protection Strategy is being Developed; But has not yet been Adopted. There is Also No Single Functional Register of Social Programmes or Beneficiaries. Despite Promising Efforts; The Government does not yet have the Capacity to Establish Large-Scale Social Safety Nets and Still Depends on Donors for Funding and Implementation. The Lack of a Civil Registration System and the Lack of Access to Identity Documents are Other Major Obstacles to the Expansion of g2p Digital Systems. Tender Link : http://www.worldbank.org/en/about/corporate-procurement/business-opportunities/administrative-procurement?order=desc