Despite an almost saturated mobile market – 99,7% mobile penetration – Ghana is still struggling to get mobile payments going. A recent research study has shown that, between 2011 and 2012 only 9% of mobile users in the country had a mobile money account.
The country’s three mobile operators providing mobile money services are calling on the government and regulators to promote this method of payment. MTN Mobile Money, Airtel Money and Tigo Cash argue that country-wide mobile money adoption demands a large scale public education campaign which none of the operators can afford on their own. They are asking the Bank of Ghana, the National Communication Authority and the government to step up.
The operators have suggested public endorsement as well as encouragement of state agencies to use mobile money. They believe mobile money can drive the country towards a cashless future. “If government really wants us to have a cashless society then government and its respective agencies would have to drive Mobile Money aggressively because Mobile Money is already moving the economy in that direction,” said Martison Obeng-Agyei , head of Mobile Commerce at Airtel Ghana. “Airtel is already doing nationwide multi-approach education on Mobile Money to disabuse people’s minds of the misconceptions about Mobile Money and drive acceptability and usage, but every advert about Mobile Money attracts commercial rate in the media and that is heavy on telcos so it is time government came on board and get media support at a more affordable rate for public education,” he added.
