Cassava Fintech International (Cassava Fintech), a subsidiary of the Econet Group and Mastercard have entered into a partnership to advance digital inclusion across Africa. The two companies will also collaborate on a range of initiatives including expansion of the Africa CDC TravelPass.
TravelPass is a digital health pass developed by Cassava Fintech and offered in conjunction with the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). It is accessible to users of Cassava Fintech’s Sasai SuperApp, and is recognized as one of the leading initiatives in the fight against the cross-border spread of COVID-19 in Africa. Mastercard is partnering with Cassava Fintech to enhance the security of TravelPass through Mastercard’s Community Pass platform.
The Mastercard Community Pass is a digital platform facilitating service delivery for marginalized individuals and communities, including access to critical health services like patient care plan tracking for COVID-19.
The joint initiative between Mastercard and Cassava Fintech is aimed at offering a unified solution with greater convenience and enhanced security. This solution is expected to promote safe cross border travel in Africa in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cassava Fintech’s CEO, Darlington Mandivenga said the partnership with Mastercard would pave the way for both companies to jointly tackle the challenges facing African economies as they re-open post the COVID-19 pandemic. “We are excited to work with Mastercard to explore solutions that will, among other things, mitigate the risk of falsified presentation of a third party’s Travel Pass at access and transit points,” Mandivenga said, adding that the same technology could also be used in payment solutions.
“We look forward to joining hands with Cassava Fintech in exploring new solutions that will make a difference and benefit the continent. In addition to digital innovation for future travel, Cassava will also leverage our secure payments network to advance access to financial services,” said Mark Elliott, Divisional President, Southern Africa, Mastercard.