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Government launches 3 new policies to speed up digital payments
The government has launched three new policy initiatives designed to deepen financial inclusion and accelerate digital payments in line with its vision of building a payment system that accelerates economic development.
The policies are National Financial Inclusion and Development Strategy, Digital FinancialServices Policy and Cash-Lite Roadmap.
Mr Ken-Ofori Atta, Minister of Finance launching the policies said “Digital payments help drive transparency, accountability, efficiency, as well as greater women’s participation in the economy. Moving away from cash helps our country advance towards achieving many of the Sustainable Development Goals.”
The National Financial Inclusion and Development Strategy, developed in collaboration with the World Bank, aims at increasing financial inclusion from currently 58 per cent to 85 per cent by 2023, helping create economic opportunities and reducing poverty.
The Digital Financial Services Policy, developed in partnership with CGAP, builds on existing technological gains to create a resilient, inclusive and innovative digital ecosystem that contributes to social development, a robust economy and a thriving private sector.
The Cash-Lite Roadmap, designed in collaboration with the United Nations-based Better Than Cash Alliance, puts forward concrete steps to build an inclusive digital payments ecosystem. This includes better access to financial services, enabling regulation and oversight, and promoting consumer protection.
According to the Finance Minister, “public and private sector actors need to work hand in hand, digitising in a responsible manner to turn these new policy initiatives into tangible benefits for all Ghanaians. These assertions are even more relevant in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
In 2017, the Ghana Interbank Payment and Settlement Systems (GHIPPS) under the auspices of the Central Bank of Ghana, launched the Mobile Money Interoperability scheme to facilitate the simple and convenient movement of funds across mobile money platforms.
In November 2019, the Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr Ernest Addison, announced an initiative to pilot a Central Bank digital currency (CBDC) in a sandbox environment. This would foster competition, reduce the operational costs associated with cash and move the country closer to achieving its cash-lite objectives.
The Central Bank has also set up a Fintech and Innovation Office to drive the Bank’s Cash-lite, e-payments and digitisation agenda. Efforts at ensuring the development of the FinTech industry culminated in the establishment of the Ghana Chamber of Technology by industry players as its umbrella body. Among other things, the Chamber provides a forum for FinTechs and Payment Service Providers to share experiences and also serve as a single point of interaction with the Central Bank and key stakeholders.
Latest figures from GhIPSS show that the use of electronic payment channels that go through GhIPSS platform, went up by 81 per cent in the first quarter of this year compared to the same period last year.
According to Dr Ruth Goodwin-Groen, Managing Director of the United Nations-based Better Than Cash Alliance, “Ghana is already recognised as a global digital payments success story! We look forward to continuing working with our member, the Government, as well as with the private sector and international organisations, to accelerate the new ambitious cash-lite roadmap, in a way that is responsible and responsive to the needs of all Ghanaians.”
BY TIMES REPORTER
A woman who is accused of bolting with ‘susu’ money totaling GH₵156,445 has appeared before an Accra Circuit Court.
Martha Nana Esi Afful was alleged to have collected the money from 35 complainants.
Charged with 35 counts of fraudulent breach of trust, Martha, who was earlier remanded, pleaded not guilty.
The court, presided over by Mr Joseph Y. Kuunsong on Wednesday, admitted the accused person to a GH₵200,000 bail with two sureties.
One of the sureties, the court said, must be a public servant earning not less than GH₵5,000.
She is expected to reappear on August 12, 2026.
The Prosecution’s case before the court is that the complainants are traders and residents at La in Accra.
Prosecution described Martha as a ‘Susu’ collector, who resided at Burma Camp.
The court heard that the accused person run a business with the name ‘ZOE’ and she deceived the 35 complainants into believing that she collected ‘Susu’ daily, which was kept for a period of one-three years, and paid interest on the money invested.
The complainants contributed in 2023 for a three-year period, prosecution said.
In December 2025, when the complainants went to take their money with interest, Martha went into hiding and only took phone calls from a few complainants.
Prosecution said the accused provided a MTN Momo number through which a few of the complainants still paid monies.
It said all efforts made to collect the money, totaling GH₵156,445 from her, proved futile.
On June 14, 2026, a report was made to the police and Martha was picked up at a washing bay at Tse Addo.
During interrogation, she admitted the offence in her caution statement, saying she lost her husband and relocated to Swedru in the Central Region, hence the complainants were unable to reach her from December 2025 till date.
Prosecution said Martha further stated that she had invested the monies into refuse collection business and she needed time to pay the amount.
Police are investigating the claims. –GNA
A Public Health Nurse at the Roman Ridge Sub-Municipal of the Ayawaso West Health Directorate, Ms Patience Adoli Kporxah, has cautioned the public against coming into contact with floodwaters, warning that exposure can lead to serious diseases, infections and injuries.
Floodwater, she said, should always be treated as contaminated, regardless of how clean it appears, because it may contain sewage, human and animal waste, chemicals, fuel, sharp objects and disease-causing micro-organisms.
In an interview with The Spectator in Accra on Thursday, Ms Kporxah explained that contact with contaminated floodwater exposes people to bacteria, viruses, parasites, hazardous chemicals and other physical hazards that can result in illness or injury.
Her advice came in the wake of recent exposure to floodwater following Monday’s torrential rains that left vast areas of the capital flooded.
As a result, a lot of people were seen either ‘swimming’ in the floodwater to rescue people or retrieving items being washed away.
According to her, exposure to floodwater could cause skin infections, particularly where there are cuts or open wounds, as well as diarrhoea diseases such as cholera, typhoid fever, dysentery and other forms of gastroenteritis if contaminated water was swallowed.
Other health risks, she said include hepatitis A, eye and ear infections, tetanus in people with untreated wounds or incomplete vaccination, and injuries from submerged sharp objects, debris or electrical hazards.
Ms Kporxah advised anyone who had contact with floodwater to monitor their health closely and seek immediate medical attention if they develop symptoms such as fever, diarrhoea, vomiting, abdominal pain, severe headache, muscle aches, skin rash, difficulty breathing, or yellowing of the eyes or skin.
She also urged people whose wounds became red, swollen, painful or begin to discharge pus, as well as those who accidentally swallow floodwater, to report to the nearest health facility without delay.
Although not everyone exposed to floodwater requires immediate treatment, she stressed that pregnant women, people with weakened immune systems, individuals living with chronic illnesses and those with significant wounds should seek prompt medical evaluation.
On water safety, Ms Kporxah cautioned that rainwater was not automatically safe for drinking or cooking, especially during or after flooding. She explained that rainwater collected from roofs, gutters or open containers could be contaminated by bird and animal droppings, dust, leaves, bacteria, viruses, parasites and chemical pollutants.
She advised that rainwater intended for drinking should first be treated by boiling, chlorination or another approved water purification method before use.
Touching on food safety, Ms Kporxah said factory-sealed bottled drinks and canned foods with intact packaging might still be safe after flooding.
However, she stressed that any containers submerged in floodwater should be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected before handling. Foods in paper packaging, damaged containers or products with broken seals should be discarded because contaminated water may have seeped into them.
She further warned that flooding increases the risk of outbreaks of cholera, typhoid fever and other waterborne diseases through contaminated water sources.
In addition, she said flooding could contribute to respiratory illnesses in overcrowded shelters and mould-infested buildings, foodborne illnesses from spoiled or contaminated food, and mental health conditions such as anxiety, stress, depression and trauma.
It could also disrupt access to medicines and healthcare for people living with chronic conditions, including diabetes, hypertension, asthma and kidney disease.
Ms Kporxah therefore urged the public to practice good hygiene, avoid unnecessary contact with floodwater, consume only safe food and drinking water, and seek medical attention promptly whenever symptoms develop.
She said observing these preventive measures would help minimise the risk of disease outbreaks and protect lives as the country continues to experience heavy rains and flooding in some communities.
By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu
