Driver-partners in South Africa are extremely important to Uber and for this reason, Uber is proud to bring back the Old Mutual Financial Literacy Sessions for driver-partners at no cost to them.
The education sessions, which will run weekly for the next 24 months, kicked off at Uber’s Green Light Hub (driver support centres) in Johannesburg where a number of drivers attended.
Thulani, a driver-partner who attended the first session said,” The session is very important for all small business owners, I have learnt so much from attending and I am very excited to see what’s in store for us.”
By attending the sessions, Old Mutual aims to equip Uber driver-partners on the importance of money management skills, entrepreneurial skills, how to best manage their finances and the habit of pro-active saving and developing healthy savings habits. Old Mutual’s “On The Money” financial literacy programme is based on the behaviour of South Africa’s Big Five animals. The unique characteristics of the Lion, Leopard, Elephant, Rhino and Buffalo, as found in nature, have been distilled to teach drivers on how to manage their personal and family finances.
Ndunduzo Nyanda, country manager for Uber South Africa says, “The financial wellbeing of driver-partners is a key priority for Uber. We are constantly working hard to ensure we are investing in driver-partners and assisting them in building sustainable businesses. With our ongoing partnership with Old Mutual, we are making it accessible for our driver-partners to have all the necessary skills to assist them to manage their money and further increase their chances of running a successful business.”
“This session was extremely informative and educational. As a business owner, I have learnt things that I was not aware of previously. I cannot wait to be part of all the sessions and to implement all the things we are taught and for my business to grow further,” said driver-partner, Dumisani who attended the sessions.
For John Manyike, head of financial education at Old Mutual, the opportunity to partner with Uber to extend the reach of the financial education message is powerful. “We are passionate about facilitating financial inclusion across Africa to break the cycle of poverty and inequality that persists. This is why we work with communities everywhere to provide a comprehensive and free financial education programme that is designed to practically address these challenges and unlock their potential to achieve their lifetime financial goals.”
Uber driver-partners in South Africa who are interested to attend these weekly sessions, can sign up via the invitation they receive via email/in-app and will be informed of every session. The financial literacy sessions will roll out across Sub-Saharan Africa in the upcoming months.