Ministry of Finance, Stanbic Partner on eZamServices Portal
Stanbic Bank has partnered with the Ministry of Finance (MoF) to provide a payment platform that will enable customers to pay for public services online on the Government Services Bus called the ZamServices Portal.
(In picture: Stanbic Bank CE, Mwindwa Siakalima (2nd r), Acting Secretary to the Treasury, Davies Chisenda (c) and Smart Zambia Institute (SZI) National Coordinator – Electronic Government Division – Percy Chinyama (3rd l) holding up the ‘dummy’ card during the launch recently. (Photos: Stanbic Bank))
Speaking during the media briefing on the Stanbic Bank’s onboarding onto the Government Service Bus (GSB) inLusaka recently, the Bank’s Chief Executive, Mwindwa Siakalima , announced that the Bank’s partnership with the Ministry of Finance and Smart Zambia now offers customers the chance to pay for public goods and services, online via the Zamservices Portal using a debit or credit card.
Some of the public services available online include payment of road taxes, ground rentals, permits, licences, property transfers, immigration, and vehicle transfers, among others.
Stanbic’s partnership with the Ministry of Finance
Mr. Siakalima, said “The e-Government Services offered through the GSB is a game-changer and has simplified access to public services by offering online payments on a secure and robust platform. Our customers and non-Stanbic customers can now pay for Government services using their VISA or Mastercard enabled Debit or Credit Card. Additionally, our customers can now submit forms to Government Departments for the services they have enrolled; make payments online when the service becomes available or due; check status of their applications; enrol for additional services as they become available.”
Mr Siakalima noted that the development is a big milestone for the Bank because it means that one can easily transact remotely and hassle-free. He also stated that the Bank will play its part in driving sensitisation of the e-Government
Services and online card payments and this will help to drive uptake of these services. I wish to reiterate that we will continue to partner with the Government and other institutions in ensuring provision of online services on secure platforms.”
The Government Services Bus (GBS)
The Government of Zambia launched Smart Zambia, also known as eGovernment services which facilitates access to electronic Government services aimed at improving service delivery for Government (G2G), Governmentto Business (G2B) and Government to Citizens (G2C) services in a secure and robust environment.
The aforementioned public services that require payment are currently available on the ZamServices Portal, a web-based electronic platform that offers payment for Government services online, instead of having to physically travel to pay for Government services. And speaking at the event, Acting Secretary to the Treasury, Davies Chisenda, said Government was pleased that Stanbic Bank has come on board to offer online card payment options on the Zamservices Portal.
Said Mr Chisenda, ‘our hope is that this partnership between Government and Stanbic Bank will continue to grow and offer even more payment channels, which will enable Government to bridge the financial and digital divide by creating access to even the most remote parts of our country.’ Mr Chisenda urged other players not yet on the GSB platform to learn from Stanbic and partner with Government in providing payment options, such as online banking, card payments and electronic wallets.”
Also speaking at the launch, Smart Zambia Institute (SZI) National Coordinator – Electronic Government Division – Mr Percy Chinyama said he was honoured to be a part of this milestone achievement with Stanbic Bank.
‘It is important that we make it easy for Zambians to understand this digital ecosystem if we aregoing to grow our country’s digital economy’, said Mr Chinyama. Mr Chinyama also reiterated that media had a big part to play in ensuring information is adequately disseminated on the efforts Government is undertaking in digitising public services.
Accessing and using the ZamServices Portal
To use the ZamServices Portal, consumers of public services simply need to register online using the following address: https://zamportal.gov.zm and generate a “ZamPass” account, which gives users access to all the services available on the portal menu.
The digital portal has worked to efficiently expedite access to public services and means that consumers no longer need to queue at Government offices as purchases are done online from an Internet-enabled device.
Source: Stanbic Bank Zambia
