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MTN Ghana to reward Mobile Money subscribers for patronising digital payments
In a bid to promote digital payments in this era of COVID- 19, Mobile Telecommunication giant MTN has launched the ‘MoMo Pay & Win’ promotion to reward customers who make payments for goods and services through Mobile Money Merchant IDs and QR codes in the months of August and September.
The service provider, in a statement, said the points based promotion gave customers the opportunity to earn and accrue points when they make payments.
“Customers earn one MoMo point for every GH¢1.00 paid. Payments should have been made to at least five unique Merchants ID numbers within the month to qualify for a prize.
“At the end of each month, the top 2,000 customers who earn the most points will be declared winners. The 2,000 selected customers will be presented with e-cash prizes ranging from GH¢10,000.00 to GH¢50,000,” it said.
Speaking on the promo, the General Manager of MTN Mobile Money Limited, Mr Eli Hini, said that the promotion was to “encourage customers to enjoy convenience of making payments using a merchant ID or a QR code which eliminates the handling of cash and ensures a safe and secure transaction”.
He urged retail outlets, churches, hospitals, associations and unions, etc to embrace Mobile Money payment as a means of receiving all forms of payments to reduce the time spent on sorting, counting and transporting cash to the banks.
“Digitisation is facilitating the new normal and at the centre stage of this is digital payments. With the merchant pay, your money is kept safely and sales can easily be tracked,” he noted.
The ‘MoMo Pay & Win’ promotion was launched on August 5 as part of activities to celebrate MoMo month under the theme “The Relevance of MoMo in a COVID 19 World”. It was to encourage customers to adopt digital payments over physical cash.
The MTN ‘MoMo Pay and Win’ promotion will end on September 30, 2020. Customers can check their accrued points for the month by dialing *120#. At the end of each month, the winners will be presented with their prizes.
Other activities outlined to create excitement for customers during 2020 MoMo month celebration are digital fairs and social media quizzes.
With the launch of the promotion, MTN has intensified its campaign against fraud. The service provider advised customers to be careful of the activities of scammers.
It said the company did not charge any money or its equivalent before prizes were redeemed, hence “any request for money, recharge cards or airtime before a prize is redeemed is fraudulent”.
“Calls originating from MTN on the promotion will be made through the official line 0244300000 only,” it added.
MTN MoMo Month was instituted in 2012 and had for the past eight years been instrumental in driving awareness, influencing policy and deepening the use of Mobile Money services.
Troubled and anxious citizens in Damongo of the Savannah Region have expressed concerns about the number of young people, believed to be under the age of 18, involved in ‘shisha’ smoking in pubs and drinking spots within the township.
Eyewitnesses say the minors were seen patronising nightlife venues, where Shisha smoking happen in the open.
The situation has sparked renewed public concern over the enforcement of child protection laws and regulations governing the operations of entertainment centres in the municipality and country as a whole.
An eyewitness, who spoke to The Spectator on conditions of anonymity for security reasons, noted that the situation was becoming increasingly common.
“This is not a one-off incident. It is becoming very common, but residents like us cannot openly report or speak about it because our lives will be at risk,” he said.
Under Ghanaian law, minors were prohibited from patronising Shisha.
Public health experts have consistently warned that shisha use exposes users to harmful substances that can negatively affect brain development, respiratory health, and overall well-being, particularly among young people.
The residents believe the alleged incidents point to broader challenges relating to youth supervision, substance abuse, and weak enforcement of existing regulations and have called on municipal authorities, security agencies, and regulatory bodies to intensify monitoring of pubs and entertainment centres to ensure compliance with the law.
In an effort to address the menace, Mr Salisu Be-Awurbi, the Savannah Regional Minister, has led public education campaigns, engaged security agencies, and supported enforcement actions to address the rising use of illicit substances in the region.
Wura Kelly Seidu Boresah I, the Chief of Damongo, has also called on all stakeholders including parents, community leaders, institutions, and young people to actively support efforts to curb drug abuse, warning that the rising consumption of hard drugs poses a serious health threat to the future of the youth in the Savannah Region.
He also cautioned individuals involved in the sale and distribution of illicit drugs to immediately desist from the practice, stressing that offenders will face arrest and prosecution in accordance with the law.
From Geoffrey Buta, Damongo, Savannah Region
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Dr Theresa Baffour, an advocate for ending violence and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SAHM SAHW Foundation, has said that society plays a critical and pivotal role in breaking the cycle of domestic violence.
According to her, domestic violence is a major contributor of making women, who are mostly the victims, mentally derailed and unable to engage in economic activities.
She said this when the foundation called on the Ga Mantse, Nii Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, to solicit support for the initiative by the “Strong and Healthy Minds, Strong and Healthy Women” (SAHM SAHW) to combat domestic violence within the Ga State.
The visit was occasioned by the fact that domestic violence cases have become quite prevalent in the Ga communities and is retarding growth.
According to her, the canker was an impediment to national development because the victims were usually tortured and would have to go through series of therapies to return to the right state of mind.
Dr Baffour mentioned that Gender-Based Violence (GBV) places a mental toll on women, and was, therefore, important to break the cycle through comprehensive mental health support, crisis intervention and empowerment programmes in communities with high rates of GBV.
This intervention, she underscored, would help in empowering the denigrated victim of domestic violence to soundly heal, build and thrive.
Dr Baffour added that the initiative would provide holistic, trauma-informed mental health care and advocacy for young women affected by domestic violence.
According to her, the above statement would create safe spaces for healing and equipping them with entrepreneurial skills for renewed hope and empowered life.
The Ga Mantse pledged his support for the laudable initiative to combat domestic violence and also acknowledged the need to address it in the Ga State.
Further endorsement came from Justice Julia Naa-Yarley Adjei Amoah, Chief of Staff at the Office of the Ga Mantse, as she commended the team of SAHM SAHW Foundation for taking a bold step to end the canker in the Greater Accra.
She added that it was a step in the right direction to save vulnerable women from torture, stress and emotional abuse.
By Alfred Nii Arday Ankrah
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