By Hou Akot Hou
Over 160 beneficiaries of a food security and livelihood program in the Deng Nhial neighborhood, Northern Bahr El Ghazal State, have received mobile phones to facilitate digital cash payments.
This is under a new system introduced by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP).
The initiative aims to improve the safety and efficiency of cash transfers by shifting from physical cash distribution to mobile money payments, reducing risks such as theft and community tensions previously linked to cash handling.
One of the beneficiaries, Mary Achol Guot, welcomed the support, saying the system would make transactions easier and safer.
“This payment is very important because I will not carry bulky cash anymore. I can buy goods from traders using money on my phone,” she said.
Achol added that the digital system would also help her manage savings more effectively and reduce the risks associated with keeping cash at home or in transit.
Another beneficiary, John Dut Pioth, said the mobile payment system would improve safety and reduce conflicts that sometimes arise between beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries.
“This time round, it will reduce the tensions we have been facing in the community,” he said.
According to WFP, the introduction of mobile money payments is part of efforts to modernise humanitarian assistance and improve accountability in cash-based interventions.
WFP Resilience Officer, Akech Nyang, urged beneficiaries to work closely with contracted traders and service providers, explaining that payments will now be processed through mobile money platforms operated by telecom service providers.
“We have experienced challenges with direct cash payments. The new system is safer. Beneficiaries can go to approved traders and receive goods, and payments are processed digitally through mobile phones,” he said.
Nyang also called on communities to ignore misinformation suggesting that mobile money services such as MTN MoMo have been discontinued, noting that operational challenges are being addressed in coordination with service providers.
He encouraged beneficiaries to embrace the new system, saying it is designed to improve transparency, reduce risks, and ensure smooth delivery of humanitarian assistance.