<<Print>>

Vodafone Cash has designated the month of June to reward its customers and agents on the mobile money transaction for being loyal to the network.

Vodafone Cash would appreciate users of the money transactions service with shopping vouchers, 30 per cent discounts on items and services purchased in a number of service and goods providing centres, including shopping centres, restaurants and pubs.

Agents of Vodafone Cash services would also be rewarded in cash or kind, including electrical appliances such as television sets, microwaves and fridges for providing satisfactory services to their customers.

Mr Martison Obeng-Agyei, Director of Vodafone Cash, addressing the media on the Vodafone Cash month in Accra said, the Vodafone Cash users would also be urged to ‘spin the wheel’ in Vodafone Cash Experience Centres to win additional cash prizes.

Explaining the state of the transaction in Ghana now, he said over four million users are on the mobile money service with 27,000 agents.

Speaking on mobile money laundering in the country, Mr Obeng-Agyei said: “there is absolutely no way to launder Vodafone cash users, unless the launderer knows the user’s pin. Even if the launderer has the customer’s phone, it is difficult unless the user’s network is swapped, which is difficult to do. You cannot change your mobile money password once you do a sim swap”.

The Director urged the government to encourage Ghanaians to use mobile money services because it will make it easier for government to know the real size of the economy since anything on data is measurable, adding that, a policy on usage of mobile money transaction will help the entire nation.

“Why are we doing paper bills through mails when we can just use mobile money to make payments and be free, a step that would also reduce the amount of corruption in the system”, he said.

Mr Obeng-Agyei stressed that, Ghana is getting into a cashless society and needs to adapt a system where bulk cash would not be carried to pay school fees or buy goods when monies could be kept and used on mobile money accounts.

Speaking on customers’ response to the mobile money interoperability initiative, he said Vodafone has witnessed a huge number of its customers on the transaction, showing how comfortable customers are on the service when it comes to promotion of goods and services without barriers.

He noted that the network has given its mobile money agents counterfeit electrical light machines to detect counterfeit money, adding that, the agents have been taken through training, coupled with security tips to ensure that the network and its customers engage in safe cash transactions.

Mr Obeng-Agyei disclosed that Vodafone cash is making plans to initiate disbursement of loans to its users by serving as mediators between selected financial institutions and the Bank of Ghana.

He explained that the financial institutions would be in charge of assessing whether a customer qualifies for a loan.