Brandy Miles' Story
When I was first presented with this opportunity to travel to Kenya and learn about financial technology, I was flooded with emotions. Excitement, curiosity, fear of the unknown, and eager to take it on. I knew this would be a life changing experience and I knew I had to do everything possible to make sure I got to go. We were asked to create a power point presentation to display our research on the topics provided, and with that the journey began. It was about 65 hour’s worth of travel with 6 planes total. We went from Halifax to Toronto, Toronto to Frankfurt, and then Frankfurt to Nairobi. In the opposite sequence, we came home.
We partnered with two different universities, collaborating with both staff and students. It was an honor to meet these amazing people and gain new perspectives. We partnered with The Technical University of Kenya, as well as Strathmore University. We had the pleasure of visiting both campuses where we were greeted with kind smiles and open arms. The teachers and students allowed us to be very comfortable and made it easier to adapt to the new environment we would spend the next 9 days in.
Besides the universities, two of Sam’s children also joined us on this trip and it added a whole new layer of fun, as well as perspective. I am very thankful that they came, and they are very kind, intelligent people. I did not know much about Kenya and their journey with fintech’s, and upon research I realized how far they had progressed with fintech’s and how long they had been doing it for. Safaricom crated mpesa, which would change the world of mobile money in Kenya forever. Before the implementation, majority of Kenya was a cash centered country. Bank accounts were for the elite and day-to-day transactions were made by trade or cash. If you needed to send money to a relative, that money would have to be delivered by hand, sometimes taking weeks to make it to the destination. As you can imagine, it would be very easy for the money to get lost, which would result in tragedy on both ends. With m-pesa, it created a more secure, fast way of sending and receiving money. But m-pesa is much more than that. It is one of, if not the main form or payment at any given store. In Canada, we mostly use cards, which is our norm. Debit and credit cards are extremely popular in our day-today lives. But in Kenya, the cards were not highly successful. From this, m-pesa filled in the gap. To compare it to something used in Canada, it is comparable to e-transfer. When you are paying with m-pesa is it like e-transferring the merchant. It is secure and has been very successful.
With great power comes great responsibility. Safaricom has created a monopoly but don’t be fooled, there are multiple fintech’s that are underway, trying to penetrate the market and create some diversity. On this trip, not only did we visit Safaricom headquarters, but we also visited the smaller fintech’s that are up and coming. We visited PawaPay and Loop where we were given excellent presentations that opened our eyes to how a fintech can be started. We visited four different banks; Equity Bank, I&M Bank, Central Bank of Kenya, and NCBA Bank where we learned different aspects of regulatory compliance as well as how the banks can integrate fintech’s. The presentations were very in depth and highly informative. I was very appreciative of the time these people took out of their busy days to educate us and answer our questions.
Besides the industry visits we also were fortunate enough to participate in a safari where we got to see lions, elk, giraffes, hippos, rhinoceroses, and much more! It was an amazing experience and felt surreal. Seeing those animals in their natural habitat is far different than seeing them in a zoo. It was beautiful, and majestic and I would highly recommend if you ever get the chance, please do it! We did our game drive in Nairobi national park, which is the park that our hotel overlooked. We got to visit Village market which was a mall, and we also got to visit a Massai market, where we were able to purchase handmade items which hold more value than a price tag reads. We got to eat bananas and mangos fresh off the tree and now, nothing will ever compare! We also tried a traditional dish called Nyama Choma and all I can say is... delicious!
We also had the great pleasure of visiting Nyeri. It was a couple of hours outside of the city and we started out day before the sunrise. This is the town where my teacher Sam grew up, and wow was it a beautiful place. We travelled to the school where he was once a student, where we handed out stationery, as well as toys, and other things to 630 children, as well as about 25 teachers. This was the highlight of the trip for me. Seeing how excited the children were to see us warmed my heart and made for a very emotional experience. A group of older children presented a traditional dance for us when we arrived, and it was a beautiful interaction. We were at the school for about 2 hours, and although we were very close to the equator and it was very hot, I wish we could have stayed longer. Each of us was given the spotlight to give the children a message, and we all took the opportunity to speak encouraging words and speak kindness to them. I hope that we gave them hope, and I will forever be wishful that they will all live a safe and successful life. They prayed over us before we left, and it left us all crying.
Kenya is a beautiful country. The people are extremely friendly, the food is amazing, the sights are breathtaking, and the weather was great. It is filled with very talented artists. Kenya is covered in art. The music makes you want to dance even if you have no rhythm! We were asked to use one word to describe the trip, and I chose transformative. I left Kenya with a new perspective on life, an appreciation for the little and big things, and a sense of culture. This trip was a once in a lifetime experience and Sam did an amazing job at navigating and educating. As I enter the final stages of my journey at NSCC, with graduation just one month away, this trip will stay with me for a lifetime. If you are given the opportunity to go on this trip, you will not only get to experience education in an academic sense, but education about culture. The keynote speaker from I&M Bank outlined the importance of being cultured and how it will change you as a person. He is wise, and his words are true.
Thank you to all involved in making this trip possible, including our sponsor.