Unilever has been working with various partners to develop, in different countries around the world, an inclusive distribution model called Shakti, reaching out to women in low-income rural communities. In Ethiopia, Unilever is collaborating with a social distribution enterprise called Kidame Mart and the BOP Innovation Center to implement an ‘open-basket’ distribution model where women micro-entrepreneurs sell a mixed basket of products from Unilever and other producers. Currently, financial transactions between micro-retail entrepreneurs (Shakti agents) and the distribution enterprise are done in cash. Enabling digital payments and other digital financial solutions for the micro-retailers can help them increase revenues and scale their businesses. The recent Unilever partnership with Mastercard and Kenya Commercial Bank in Kenya, documented by the Better Than Cash Alliance (“Jaza Duka” platform case study) shows for example that retailers grew sales by 20% in the first six months of accessing digital working capital loans, based on retailers’ digital purchasing history with Unilever. Digital payments can also contribute to help retailers in the Shakti programme access additional financial services, such as savings, and promote better control of finance by women. Unilever Ethiopia and UNCDF Better Than Cash Alliance are looking to hire a Digital Financial Services expert consultant to (1) explore how digital payments might be able to reduce cash collection in Unilever supply chain and enable access to financial services for the participating women and (2) contribute to the development of Ethiopian rural digital payments ecosystem.
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