Building agent networks to deliver humanitarian cash and voucher assistance in Ethiopia’s Somali region

• Sep 4, 2025
• 1 min

Ethiopia’s Somali region is facing its worst drought in four decades. The calamity has left an estimated 55% of its population in urgent need of food and water. While digital financial services present a critical channel to deliver humanitarian cash and voucher assistance, the early stage of Ethiopia’s DFS ecosystem and the limited capacity of agent networks have hindered uptake.

MSC worked with the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) to strengthen agent networks for humanitarian payment delivery. The project combined research, curriculum design, and training with action planning, pilot testing, and continuous advisory support. This included the development of tailored training toolkits, onboarding of financial service providers for agent network management, capacity building for last-mile service delivery, and on-site support for strategy execution.

The initiative enabled DFS partners to expand their reach and improve the efficiency of humanitarian interventions in the Somali region. By March 2024, MSC had developed three-year strategies and operational plans, delivered eight targeted training sessions to selected providers, trained and reactivated 500 agents, and sustained the activity of 300 agents.