CEDA CEO TALKING NOTES AT THE "KAE kAPA KAE" LAUNCH- 22 SEPTEMBER 2023

Director of Ceremonies,

Honourable Minister of Entrepreneurship, Mr Karabo Gare,

Members of Parliament here present,

All government officials,

Kgosi Batho Tshoso,

Magosi here present,

CEOs here present,

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good Morning

1. Today you join CEDA on a journey that began three years ago. The journey started with our strategy that demanded that Digital Transformation be moved to the top of our agenda and placed emphasis on the optimization of comprehensive core business processes. Consequently, this plan is in line with the nation’s third “Reset Agenda” priority, being the acceleration of digitalization in the delivery of services by Government and creating enabling conditions for the active involvement of the private sector and society in the uptake and utilisation of digital technologies.
2. When the covid pandemic hit in 2020, and the world spoke of embracing a new normal, we were met with the pressing need to increase access to our services so that we assist Government in stimulating the economy and further aiding economic recovery.  As a result, we buckled down and quickly implemented processes that clients could use to access some of our services such as application forms, and requests for disbursements without having to come to the office to maintain social distancing. We further launched USSD services which are accessible to our clients to process payments, and check balances.
3. Ladies and Gentlemen, in order to further enhance service delivery, we explored other avenues and submission of applications was one area where we believed we could take up the challenge of technical advancements in improving service delivery. Some of you will recall the long lines of customers seeking to enquire on new products as well as take advantage of the revised CEDA Guidelines. It dawned to us that a web based system would alleviate the need for queuing, however, as some of our clients will be familiar with the not so friendly web-based application process we had on our website and a decision was taken to enhance the platform and modernise to allow for a seamless experience. We began to budget for an all-encompassing platform that would provide all our services online.  In that journey we consulted with clients, potential clients, security experts, banking professionals.  We engaged with the government team responsible for SmartBots to gain a better understanding not only of what customers expected, but also how we would circumvent the ever frustrating service outages that is popularly known as “network is down”.  This is of particular importance to us in development finance because of the unique breadth of our client base and the need to efficiently service them.  CEDA funds from P500 to P50 million.  This means that we are dealing with different levels of maturity in enterprise,  however, all of our clients have a common need for expediency and reliability in service.
4. Ladies and Gentlemen, once we were confident in what our clients demanded we went out to tender, and went through a lengthy process of development, testing, trials, back and forth until we got the product right.  People will ask, why back and forth when banks are already doing this.  Our product differs from what a banking platform provides because we ought to have banking features that are supported by commercial banks.,.  This placed even greater security and accuracy demands on CEDA, and today I am confident that the platform that our Honourable Minister is about to launch is robust enough to deliver superior clients’ experience. Services that are on the platform include the following:

•            24/7 accessibility on any smart device, be it a mobile phone, laptop or tablet.
• Ability to apply for a loan from the comfort of their homes/offices or wherever they are.
• Tracking of loan applications.
• Ability to make payments - CEDA loan payments and other fees.
• Instant access to loan statements
• Access to a loan calculator which will help you determine how much to apply for and how much you should expect to pay
• Ability to provide feedback on their experience with CEDA online.
• access to the virtual assistant which we have named Marang.  Through the virtual assistant, you will get answers to frequently asked questions.  Further, you will be able to schedule a chat with an actual human being to take you through your enquiry.

5. Ladies and Gentlemen, the development of this platform doesn’t end today.  We will continue to upgrade it to ensure that the security features withstand new threats, improve its features as well as add a mobile application for your convenience.  These developments are not stand alone, they are part of our ongoing commitment to increase channels of access for our services.  These include the mobile branch initiative, in 2023 alone, we have already covered over 163 villages, both big, and small to ensure we enable Batswana to conveniently access services.  These visits provide a full suite of services that are offered at the office.  We are in the process of opening two new branches, the Tsabong office will be opened within the coming month, and Tutume office is next in line. 
6. Ladies and Gentlemen, we endeavour to enhance our product offering and we continually review these offering and support Government initiatives, to that effect on the services side, we will soon begin a campaign to finance farmers who wish to improve their breeds by taking advantage of government’s investment in artificial insemination.  The campaign will focus on teaching farmers the benefits of artificial insemination as well as providing funding for tools and semen straws themselves. As you are aware Government has reduced the fees to train to undertake courses on artificial insemination to P500 for the whole 5 days course.
7. Honourable Minister, we have a lot coming up, and we expect that the platform we are launching today will assist us reach more people.  But as you can see from our presence, we do not intend to hide behind computers.  Our offices remain open, our mobile offices, together with Mogaka are coming to you.

With those few remarks I thank you.

PULA