MasterCard announced that it has entered a partnership with the UN World Food Programme to encourage the use of smartcards for Iraqi welfare programs, reported Finextra. The partnership will commence with a pilot providing electronic food vouchers for the Iraqi Public Distribution System. The details of this introductory pilot will be discussed during a two-day technical workshop including representatives from the Iraqi government, the WPF and MasterCard.
The partnership also aims to ready use for acceptance of welfare benefit reforms in Iraq, such as healthcare, education credits and more.
“We expect that this workshop and the subsequent national consultative seminar will pave the way to implement a pilot project in specific areas in Iraq to examine the feasibility and benefits of adopting electronic cards to provide Iraqi citizens with an improved service and a food basket that will help improve food security in Iraq and contribute to the growth of our national economy,” said Mahdi M. Al-Alak, deputy minister of planning.
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