The Mobile Money Advocacy Group Ghana has called on government to support them financially and also provide enhanced security for its members.
According to them, the time is ripe for government to acknowledge the importance of mobile money agents as the recent increase of attacks on its members is having a toll on them.
Speaking at a ceremony to swear in a new executive committee of the group, Chairman for the program, Joseph Smith-Acquah said “The role being played by mobile money agents in the country is a very essential one as they make the economy grow at the micro level through their cash in and cash out operations for local and international transaction.”
“The agents have brought banking to our very door step in a 24 hour cycle and 7 days in a week and in some instances by catering for our financial needs at their own cost and yet these agents have never received any encouragement from any institution to the best of my knowledge. The time has therefore come for the government to take a special interest in the activities of the mobile money agent in the country to assist them,” he said.
He also added that, “The time has therefore come for the government to take a special interest in the activities of the mobile money agent in the country to assist them through capitalization of their micro banking activities as their raw material is primarily cash.”
He further noted that, “I would like the government again to look at security for these agents by directing Ghana Police Service through the ministry of interior to offer community policing purposely for the activities of the agents, just as we have MTTD for transport. In addition to the fore mentioned reasons, I would plead with the Ghana Police Service to offer security training at regular intervals to enable the agents know how to detect crime associated with their operations.”
Members of the new executive committee include Maame Nyarkoa Addo as President, Albert Otu-Siaw as Vice President, Mr Eliah Asem as Secretary, Kelvin Nketia as Assistant Secretary, Frederick Agyemang Tetteh as Financial Secretary, Raphael Okutu as Organizer and Ikis Adjetey Adjei as Welfare Officer .
For the next year, the team is mandated to steer the affairs of the Group which exists as the sole professional body for mobile money agents in the country.
