Mr Eazi’s betPawa partners with Mobile Money Rwanda

The agreement, which follows the launch of betPawa operations in Rwanda in April, heralds seven other projects between both companies. Launched in 2013, betPawa already boasts operations in Nigeria, the DRC, Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.

Mobile Money Rwanda said the partnership was geared towards “common goals through innovation and entertainment as we see fintech grow and impact lives.”

Months ago, Mr Eazi said he was “impressed by the processes in Rwanda and encouraged by the ease of doing business” and that “regulatory efficiency and support from the Rwanda Development Board, Ministry of Trade, Kigali International Finance Center and other regulatory bodies have enabled us to kick off operations in the country in less than a year from the incorporation stage.”

Mr Eazi is behind an impressive investment portfolio that includes emPawa Africa, an incubator programme he launched in 2018 to provide artists with funding and resources to market their music, access radio and TV airplay and learn how to become successful entrepreneurs. Last year, the musicians’s venture capital fund, Zagadat Capital, invested in Africa-facing payment company pawaPay, which is now operational in Zambia, Cameroon, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ghana and Rwanda.

Meanwhile, betPawa and the Imanzi Counseling and Rehabilitation Center in the capital Kigali have announced a new partnership to encourage responsible betting in Rwanda. The initiative allows betPawa customers who are concerned about their betting activity to call a dedicated number for specialist support free of charge.

“We’ve done a lot of cool things already in Rwanda, including opening a betPawa shop in Gisimenti,” Mr Eazi said. “However, this partnership with Imanzi Counseling and Rehabilitation Center is definitely the most important so far. We believe in responsible betting completely; that you should think of betting primarily as a leisure activity, not a source of income, and never bet more than you can afford.”