Michael Joseph, an information and communication technology specialist from Kenya, will become the first fellow under the World Bank’s new fellowship program that seeks to attract global technical and policy experts.
The former chief executive officer of Kenyan communication firm Safaricom will advise the World Bank and governments beyond Africa on policy and regulatory issues to promote mobile banking and mobile payments.
Joseph, who remains on Safaricom’s board, has been credited with the success of M-pesa, a mobile money platform that allows subscribers to make payments and move cash at a low cost, cutting out intermediaries.
