The Lilongwe Water Board (LWB) on Wednesday unveiled a partnership with Telekom Networks Malawi (TNM) Plc on its innovative prepaid water metering system. The partnership will accord LWB customers opportunity to easily buy water tokens through mobile money platform, Mpamba.

LWB is currently installing prepaid meters in all its customers to, among others, enhance revenue collection and eradicate illegal water usage by simplifying water supply services.  

Lilongwe Water Board Chief Executive Officer, Engineer Alfonso Chikuni said the partnership between his company and TNM Mpamba gives LWB customers a chance to transact any day of the week and at their most convenient time.

“Mpamba has added another payment outlet to our customers. The importance of this outlet is that it can be accessed any day, any time. This means it has eased our job as a utility body and helps us serve our customers better,” Chikuni said.

According to TNM Mpamba Head of Mobile Money, Chikhulupiliro Mphatso, the partnership accords customers the opportunity to buy prepaid water tokens any time, any day and anywhere.

Mphatso said, with this innovation, it is not necessary for Mpamba and LWB customers to spend hours on the queue waiting to buy prepaid water tokens.

“Buying prepaid water tokens through Mpamba presents convenience in that one can buy anywhere, any time at the user’s convenience. It is also cost effective as it knocks out any transportation costs that may have been accrued when travelling to buy prepaid water from Lilongwe Water Board outlets,” said Mphatso.

He said transacting through Mpamba offers service users secure, trusted and safe mode of payment.

“The Mpamba platform as a mode of payment grants the users utmost safety. Electronic transactions are safer than cash transactions. The Mpamba wallet offers the user the luxury of using the facility as and when that user feels appropriate,” he said.

To buy prepaid water tokens from Lilongwe Water Board customers are required, to dial *444#, Select 4 (Payments), Select 1 (Utilities), Select 2 (LWB), Select 1 (LWB Prepaid) then enter LWB Meter Number, Enter amount, Confirm transaction then enter Mpamba PIN and an SMS notification containing the water token number will be sent once the transaction has been completed.

Once a token is purchased, customers will use a Customer Interface Unit (CIU) device to enter water tokens in their prepaid meter accounts by punching in a 20-digit token. The CIU has been designed with instructions to aid customers.

Pre-paid water metering system is an upgrade from a post-paid metering system which LWB has been using since its establishment in 1947. LWB has partnered with TNM and FMB to ensure customer are able to buy the pre-paid meter tokens easily.

TNM Mpamba already has a partnership for post-paid bill payment for the board’s water service.