Akram’s Story

Akram is a 24-year-old builder from Kampala, Uganda, who relies on DFS to receive payments from clients across the country. He also uses DFS for personal matters and recently took out a loan to cover medical expenses.

Worried that any money deposited into his account would automatically be used to repay the loan, Akram decided to open a new account to receive funds while contemplating whether to pay back the loan or not. While, he could pay the loan back using the money he has saved in his savings group, accessing that money isn't easy, as the group’s funds are strictly for investment purposes.

To create his new account, Akram gathered his documents and set out to buy a new SIM card. However, his job, which involves constant contact with cement mixtures, makes his thumbprint difficult to read on most agents’ devices. Knowing which agent has the right reader, he walked there to fast-track the process.

Akram requested an emergency SIM, chose from several SIM packs, and provided his national ID. The agent entered his details into the system, requested the OTP sent to his phone, and then tried various angles until his thumbprint was finally accepted. After capturing his photo and completing the registration, Akram received his new SIM card, ready for use.

“I am happy that even mobile money is activated on my new SIM card so I can now use this SIM to get mobile money payments from my work because the loans are too much on my current SIM.” - Akram