Page 24 - ARUBA TODAY

A24 TECHNOLOGY
Monday 30 SepteMber 2019
South Sudan launches mobile money to boost recovery from war

JUBA, South Sudan (AP) widespread, including high
— Angelo Adud needed illiteracy rates and a lack of
some persuading to leave ID cards needed for people
his job as a shopkeeper to register with the service.
and become a mobile Only 16% of the population
money agent in South Su- has ID cards, according
dan. Yet one week into his to the government, which
new role, the 29-year-old means people can receive
already saw a return on his money but are charged
investment. more to withdraw it and
"This is a new country and are unable to send cash.
digital things are hard to Nilepay said it is trying to
understand. I was worried, establish biometric regis-
what if no one comes?" he tration using fingerprints,
said while helping a cus- among other types of reg-
tomer withdraw money in istration.
his newly rented space in The main barrier, however,
the back of a parking lot is a weak telecommuni-
in the capital, Juba. Adud cations network, without
said he earned more in which mobile transfers
commissions in one week won't work.
than he would make in a Years of civil war damaged
month in his shop. In this photo taken Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2019, a man sits in his mobile money kiosk which specializes or destroyed half of Zain's
South Sudan has launched in sending money from South Sudan to Uganda, in the capital Juba, South Sudan. cell towers, said Ahmed
mobile money, the ability Associated Press Hussein, senior marketing
to send and receive funds manager. Before fighting
by phone, in an attempt to Both have partnered with like Kenya and Uganda to "Mobile money should erupted in 2013, Zain cov-
boost the economy after a Zain, one of South Sudan's persuade hesitant locals make access to funds eas- ered nine out of 10 states
five-year civil war killed al- two mobile operators. that it is a more financially ier for people in rural vil- with almost 400 cell towers
most 400,000 people. In recent weeks Juba's secure option than carry- lages, creating more finan- across the country. Now
Two companies launched streets have filled with ing cash. cial inclusion, which means it has less than 200. Many
in August: m-GURUSH, ads urging people to start More than 80% of money in people can play a bigger parts of the country are cut
owned by local tech firm banking from their phones. South Sudan is not kept in role in the economy," he off.
Trinity Technologies, and The companies are relying banks since most of them said. Zain is trying to increase
Nilepay, a telecommunica- on people who have al- are based in Juba, said But many challenges need coverage starting with
tions firm with Kenyan and ready used mobile money Darius Mobe, director of to be overcome before major cities such as Juba,
South Sudanese owners. in neighboring countries the Nilepay platform. mobile money becomes Aweil, Bentiu and Wau.q

Whistleblower case opens window

into secret computer systems

calls with foreign leaders whistleblower wrote, the tive."
typically are classified as word-for-word transcript of Nate Jones, who served as
"secret," one of the lowest the call that was produced director of counterterror-
levels of classified material. — as is customary — by ism at the National Security
That makes sense because the White House Situation Council during the Obama
presidents aren't usually in Room. administration, said the
the habit of sharing "top se- "White House officials told highly sensitive system has
cret" U.S. information with me that they were 'direct- severe limitations on ac-
leaders of other nations. ed' by White House lawyers cess.
A member of the audience holds a copy of the Whistle-Blower This is exactly what hap- to remove the electronic "It is a very exclusive sys-
Complaint letter sent to Senate and House Intelligence Com- pened with the informa- transcript from the com- tem," said Jones, who
mittees during testimony by Acting Director of National Intel-
ligence Joseph Maguire before the House Intelligence Com- tion about President Don- puter system in which such founded Culper Partners, a
mittee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Sept. 26, 2019. ald Trump's July 25 call transcripts are typically consulting firm. He said the
Associated Press with Ukrainian President stored for coordination, fi- transfer of the transcript
Volodymyr Zelenskiy. The nalization and distribution "didn't happen by acci-
By DEB RIECHMANN to-day basis. memorandum was classi- to Cabinet-level officials," dent. Somebody had to
Associated Press The process is complicat- fied as "secret," and it was the whistleblower said in do it."
WASHINGTON (AP) — The ed. There are unclassified entered into a computer- the complaint. Steven Aftergood, who
whistleblower complaint and classified systems that ized system that stores oth- The whistleblower says the directs the Federation of
at the heart of Congress' are not interconnected. er "secret" and "top secret" transcript was loaded into American Scientists' Proj-
impeachment inquiry Then there is still another information. the system reserved for ect on Government Se-
opened a window Thurs- where very sensitive infor- But the whistleblower al- the most sensitive informa- crecy, said the concern is
day into government com- mation is stored — one that leges that several White tion, describing that as "an that placing the Zelenskiy
puter systems that White only a handful of officials House officials became so abuse of this electronic call records on the more
House and other govern- can access. concerned about the con- system because the call restricted server was an ir-
ment employees use to Memos and documents tent of the call that they in- did not contain anything regular practice that could
share and manage classi- created to recount and tervened to "lock down" all remotely sensitive from a be a prelude to record
fied information on a day- transcribe presidential records of it. Especially, the national security perspec- destruction.q