The Ghana Interbank Payment and Settlement Systems (GhIPSS) is calling on government to consider paying public and civil servants through the bio smart card, e-zwich.
According to GhIPSS, the e-zwich platform will help to prevent double payments and enable government to clear all ghost names on the payroll system.
EU sources report that ghost names on government payroll accounts for 20, out of the 70 per cent spent on public sector compensation.
Speaking to Citi Business News the Chief Executive of GhIPPS, Archie Hesse said the e-zwich platform is the most trusted way of clearing Ghost names from the payroll system due to its efficiency.
“We have the system that is capable of eliminating duplications in the payroll system. We have spoken to a number of institutions who have embraced it in the last three years”, he said.
He pointed out that the National Services Secretariat is one organization that has used the e-zwich platform to eliminate thousands of unauthorized personnel on its payrolls.
“So I am looking forward to the time that all salary payments will be using this vehicle to help eliminate what we call ghost names from our payrolls,” he said.
Speaking on the efficacy of the system, the Chief Executive Officer of the EDAPT, a leading provider of payment solutions and transaction processing services in a number of emerging economies, Gabriel Ruhan, said the e-zwich platform offers other opportunities for the Economy.
“To achieve financial inclusion the first step is to give the person financial identity. Unless you can certify someone’s financial identities you can’t make progress in knowing the person,” he said.
He added that the system focuses on capturing a person’s biometric data which makes it technically impossible for somebody to be in the data base twice.
“When making payments on the e-zwich, we are absolutely certain that the person receiving the funds is the person who is registered to the card,” he said.
He stated that in the 15years of its operation, the system has never had any case of fraud.
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By: Norvan Acquah – Hayford /citibusinessnews.com/Ghana