In an effort to strengthen the footprints of Vivo Energy and Orange, and to improve customers’ experience by offering them more convenience, both companies have entered into a collaborative Pan-African partnership agreement.
Vivo Energy, the Shell licensee in 16 African markets, was established on December 1, 2011 to distribute, and market Shell-branded fuels and lubricants.
Present in 28 countries, Orange is one of the world’s leading telecommunications operators with sales of €40.2 billion in 2016, and 156,000 employees worldwide, including 95,000 employees in France.
Under this agreement, Orange Money customers will be allowed to cash in and cash out money from their Orange Money account, and pay in any Shell service station operated by Vivo Energy.
The services – already available in Mali, Cote d’Ivoire and Madagascar – will be extended to the rest of the common footprint by mid-2017.
Orange Money customers will have access to a network of over 1,000 Shell service stations to transact from.
On the other hand, Vivo Energy customers will enjoy the trusted and secured services offered by the Orange Money platform.
They will also save time and money on their payment transactions.
Executive Vice President at Vivo Energy, David Mureithi, commenting on the partnership.
“Mobile money represents a huge opportunity in Africa. Mobile Money services have gained momentum in a number of countries across the continent, led by operators, like Orange, looking to add to their portfolio value-added services.
“This initiative fits our overall strategy of offering innovating solutions, a convenient experience to our customers and developing a lasting relationship with them. Through this alliance with Orange Money, we want to expand the range of services we offer to our customers and also allow them to pay in a simple and easy way on our retail sites,” he said.
Executive Vice President in charge of mobile financial services at Orange Group, Thierry Millet, also spoke about the partnership.
“Orange Money has evolved well beyond money transfer to cover from now on all the essential transactions that our customers perform every day. It has become a decisive financial inclusion tool on the continent.
Together with Vivo Energy, through this multi-country partnership, we significantly increase the number of merchants that accept mobile money transactions. This is a real gain of proximity for our shared customers that can pay in a fast and secure way, and cash in and cash out from any Vivo Energy outlet,” he said.