BY CHATULA KANGALI –
UNITED Bank for Africa (UBA) and the Zambia Postal Services Corporation (ZAMPOST) have partnered  in the  payment of salaries for civil servants mainly in remote parts of the country.
The Civil Servants Salary Payment project, under which the partnership has been made, was approved by Cabinet in 2013 and is licensed by the Bank of Zambia.
The vision of the project is to provide convenience to civil servants, especially those serving in the rural parts of the country where there are no banking services.
This payment system is currently servicing civil servants in Northern, Luapula, Western and Muchinga provinces.
UBA chief executive officer Stanley Ugwuenze said in an interview that the bank had offered prepaid cards to civil servants under the payment system for withdrawing money.
He said the card would  enable  civil  servants  in rural areas to withdraw  money from any  post  offices across the  country.
“We are now providing prepaid cards to ZAMPOST to be used by civil servants under the salary payment system.
“The card is easy to use and will enable workers to withdraw money from any post office,” he said.
Mr Ugwuenze said the bank had provided over 15,000 prepaid cards to the Zambia National Farmers Union and 100,000 to other farmers under the e-voucher system for accessing farming inputs.
He said UBA had also introduced a new product called Africash specifically designed for cross-border traders on the Copperbelt.
He said the Africash would enable traders to pay for goods and services offered in the Democratic Republic of Congo.