The enhanced service allows Orange Money subscribers to access their funds 24 hours a day by withdrawing money at ATMs and making point-of-sale (POS) or online purchases wherever Visa is accepted.

The current Orange Money service allows customers to use their mobile phones to transfer funds to any mobile phone subscriber in the country, pay electricity, buy airtime and pay bills.

The enhanced Orange Money Visa programme offers the convenience of making payments on the Internet and at more than 4,000 local retailers and withdrawing money from over 300 Visa ATMs across Botswana.

Orange Money subscribers must simply apply for an Orange Money prepaid Visa card, which will be instantly linked to their existing Orange Money account. Don't have Orange Money yet? New customers will need a valid ID or passport to register for an Orange Money account.

Registration and Orange Money prepaid Visa card requests will be facilitated through Orange shops nationwide. In the near future, Orange Money subscribers will be able to obtain Orange Money prepaid Visa cards from all Orange Money dealers.

Botswana is the first country in the world where Visa and Orange are collaborating to allow Orange Money subscribers to make Visa transactions, following the announcement of a group-wide strategic agreement between Orange and Visa in 2012.

The Orange Money prepaid Visa card will be available to all sectors of the population, ranging from the unbanked and under-banked, blue collar workers, rural dwellers as well as the young, self-employed and students.

Visa's Head of Emerging Products & Innovation for Africa, Dougie Henderson said: "We are delighted to launch this exciting new service first with Orange Botswana. This is a significant milestone in Visa's strategy to drive financial inclusion, bringing Visa capabilities to mobile money services in Africa."

Elisabeth Medou Badang, CEO of Orange Botswana said: "This partnershihip demonstrates the existence of strong synergies between financial institutions and telecommunication operators as a way to improve financial inclusion. The online payment feature that we bring constitutes a phenomenal opportunity for the development of e-commerce for all, including the unbanked. We strive on a daily basis to provide convenience to our customers while making their lives easier with enhanced customer experience".

Medou Badang further emphasised that "Orange is committed to continuously innovate, leveraging on Orange Money's flexibility and strong growing adoption as well as relevant partnerships to increase the Orange money ecosystem and better serve our customers."

"This new service will also help us to strengthen the education of our customers on Orange Money services as an easy, simple, and convenient tool to perform their transactions either for their businesses or for themselves," she added.

Director of Orange Money in Botswana, Moussa Dao, stated that the collaboration with Visa is a concrete answer to Orange Botswana's ambition to serve Batswana with a highly convenient, simple and affordable means of payment. He said that Orange Money customers will benefit from the full advantages of Visa's global high standards and secured network.

"This will make it easier for ordinary Batswana to buy goods and services or draw out cash almost anywhere and anytime. Orange Money subscribers will also be able to go online for e-commerce using a secured Visa number," Dao confirmed.

Henderson noted that Visa mobile payments are a boost for the unbanked, offering a more advanced and convenient way to move money, make purchases and pay bills.

The Orange Money-Visa programme is in collaboration with BancABC, which will provide a key support in the management of the transactions.