Nigerian financial institution First Bank has partnered with the United Nations Children Education Fund (UNICEF) to help roll out health services to formerly unbanked populations in the country.

The bank has partnered with the UN agency through its mobile money offering FirstMonie, which facilitates the entry of the unbanked and the underbanked into the financial system.

FirstMonie also enables subscribers to send and receive money, pay bills, buy airtime and make purchases without having a bank account.

The alliance is planned see FirstMonie support the UNICEF health scheme initiative through its payment disbursement services across the nation.

Folake Ani-Mumuney, head of marketing and corporate communications at First Bank, said the FirstMonie platform offers a strong medium for UNICEF to disburse funds securely to beneficiaries across the nation.

“First Bank’s citizenship ideals drive our involvement with issues that enhance socio-economic development and we are delighted to be partnering UNICEF through FirstMonie in providing a mobile payment solution that supports the drive for education of the host communities in the eradication of the polio virus from Nigeria,” Ani-Mumuney said.