In 2013, CGAP provided funding, technical assistance and knowledge sharing to one of mobile money player in Côte d’Ivoire. The objectives were twofold: (1) to expand the reach of mobile money services and improve the quality of the agent network, and (2) extract lessons learned.

1. Mobile money agent network expansion:
Experience from a mobile network operator in WAEMU
March, 2015

2. Scope of the project
 Increase the mobile money distribution network capacity with 1500
new agents
 Reduce the circulation and the usage of cash
 Structure and facilitate the financial exchanges
Train the new agents to financial management, by providing
appropriate and simple tools and practices;
Generate new jobs (Creating micro-entrepreneurs)
Accompany the new agents through a customized supervisory staff
system

3. Diagram of the deployment process
Presentations
Trainings
Deployed Animated Assessed
Eligible &
Selected
Not
EligiblePoints
of Sales
to visit
• SIM Card activation
•1st order of
Electronic Money
Mass
Communication
campains
KPI
• Points of Sales
geolocated
• Complete applications
received
• Administrative time
(1 ½ months max.)
• Tax Status
• Kits delivery:
Branding, Equipments,
SIM cards
• Customized
supervisory staff
• Classic visits
• Monitoring visits
• Mini Promotional
activities
SELECTION /
VALIDATION
DEPLOYMENT - ANIMATION MONITORING /
EVALUATION
• Reports :
Monitoring
& Evaluation
Visited
• Plans for visits
• GPS
• Appraisal form
• Logistics
Eligible &
Replacement
portfolio

4. Agents's deployment (1/2)
3,954
2,344
1,652 1,528
124 270 270 270
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
4000
4500
Agents
Visited
Agents
Selected
Agents
Validated
Recruted
Agents
Deployed
Agents
Pending
Deployment
Agents
Supervised
Agents
Supervised
Agents
Monitored
Target: 1 500 Agents

5. Agents's deployment (2/2): The targeted agents
 A nationwide deployment of Mobile Money agents
 Two categories of agents were targeted for their proximity
and their close daily interaction with the population:
1,456 agents, consisting of neighborhood shops;
72 agents, consisting of managers of cellphone booths
including 31 exclusively located in rural areas.

6. Outcomes (1/3)
Effectiveness of agents deployment process
Evaluation - Validation Training - Deployment Supervision-Monitoring
Application submission
Agent analysis
Validation visits with: GPS + Appraisal
form
Introduction to supervisors
Training of agents
Delivery of portable kit (SIM & Branding)
Regular advisory visits
Regular agent monitoring
Performance appraisal
Review of
applications
SIM card delivery
On-site branding
Training of agents
Validation visits -
Decision commitee
Sporadic advisory &
Monitoring
Before Project
After Project
Deployment time> 1 month on average
Deployment time: maximum 3 weeks

7. Outcomes (2/3)
High satisfaction rate of agents about the customized supervisory system
Agents
called
Agents
interviewed
Agents
supervised
Agents
confirming visits
Agents
satisfied
83% 82% 81% 90%
All Mobile Money (MM)
agents
100% 98% 92%
MM PoS managed by
employees
100% 86% 100%
MM PoS managed by
owners
90%
10%
All Mobile Money (MM) agents
•83% of the supervised agents were called
•82% of respondents were interviewed
•81% of respondents confirmed the visit
from a supervisor
•90% having confirmed the visit are
satisfied
MM PoS managed by employees
•They represent 90% of the called agents
•All were interviewed
•98% of respondents confirmed the visit
from a supervisor
•92% having confirmed the visit are
satisfied
MM PoS managed by owners
•They represent 10% of the called agents
•All were interviewed
•86% of respondents confirmed the visit
from a supervisor
•100% having confirmed the visit are
satisfied

8. Outcomes (3/3)
Performance of the agents
• Nearly 10 million transactions observed in 10 months
• More than 100 billion CFA francs of electronic money transactions
within the network
• More than one billion FCFA paid to agents in 10 months

9. The key success factors:
• Adopting a specific organization related to mobile money business.
• Establishing appropriate procedures.
• Adopting a consistent participatory synergy of all the company's
decision-making bodies that contribute to the operational deployment.
• Anticipating the required resources (human, logistic, etc.) that can be
relatively important including for: the deployment, the activation of the
SIMs cards, the supervision & monitoring of agents, the technical
assistance.
Learnings (1/4)
Pre-project

10. Phase Learnings
Evaluation - Validation
It is necessary having significant logistics
resources for mass deployment
Improved agents portfolio is achieved through the
use of a simple appraisal form
The use of GPS allows to optimizing the
geographical distribution of agents
Learnings (2/4)
Phase: Evaluation – Validation

11. Learnings (3/4)
Phase: Training – Deployment
Phase Learnings
Training - Deployment
Introducing the supervisors to the agents that fall under
their responsabilities, during training sessions allows
better adoption of the supervision concept by agents
Training performed by supervisors to the agents make
easier the understanding of the conditions of the activity,
clarify the role of the supervisor, and precise the purpose
of initiation to the cash management
The conversion of some informal candidates to become
the formal agents can generate costs and add additional
time to the deployment that need to be anticipated
Possibilities and opportunities establishing partnerships
with certain financial institutions to finance the activity and
allow some agents to have enough working capital,
particularly in rural areas should be considered
Opportunities for partnerships and / or agreements with
public authorities need to be explored to find suitables
taxes status for the actors of the new activity, particularly
in rural areas

12. Learnings (4/4)
Phase: Supervision – Monitoring
Phase Learnings
Supervision-Monitoring
The use of qualified staff for the supervision of the agents
is a critical component for quality monitoring
The supervision system has enabled the supervised
agents to better anticipate the supply of Electronic money,
the liquidity management including better anticipation of
periodic flows (daily, weekly ...) deposit / withdrawal.
Adoption of simple reporting tools with relevant KPIs
(stock of electronic money, level of transactions ...)
facilitates monitoring of the activity by the agents as well
as by the supervisors
Fees related to accounts openings, is an additional
source of motivation for agents

13. Appendix 1: Content of the customized supervisory system
• Training on the overall management of a point of sale
• Training and checking on holding a transactions book
• Training and monitoring the customer experience
• Stock Check of electronic money / Cash
• Recommendations on anticipating the supply of electronic money
• Recommendations and preventions against scams and frauds
• Assistance and information on the portfolio of mobile money services

14. Appendix 2: Example of the criterias for the appraisal form
General Informations
Numberof the form
Region
City
Localit, Area, District
GPS coordinates
Eligibility
Type of Point of Sales (PoS)
Rate of frequentation
Visibility of the PoS
Proximity of the PoS
Proximity of shops, entreprises, SME, SMI
Number of existing mobile money agents in the neighborhood
Selection
Status of the candidat: Owner - Manager
Last Name et Surname of the: Owner - Manager
Details of: Owner - Manager
Assessement elements of the candidate's motivation and level of interest
Assessment elements of the financial capability of the candidate
Assessment elements of the treasury of the candidate
Assessment elements of the level of security of the shop of the candidate
Existence of financial institutions nearby the candidate's PoS (banks, MFIs, others)
Number of years of activity of the PoS
Assessment elements of the literacy level of the: Owner - Manager
Education level of the: Owner - Manager
Type of products / services offered by the PoS
Opening hours of the PoS
Number of employees of the PoS

15. Advancing financial inclusion to improve the lives of the poor
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