By Benjamin Nii Nai Anyetei
The Mobile Money Agents Association of Ghana (MMAAG) has urged government to prioritize the safety of its members before rolling them into the 24-hour economy initiative.
The call was made at the Association’s National Leadership and Strategy Summit held in Accra on September 19, where mobile money and fintech stakeholders gathered to deliberate on challenges confronting the sector.
MMAAG raised alarm over rising attacks on mobile money vendors, with more than five deaths recorded this year alone due to armed robberies, and many more unreported cases nationwide.
General Secretary of the Association, Evans Otumfuor, said members continue to suffer harassment and violent attacks.
“Just in Obuasi alone, robbery attacks on mobile money agents have spanned over 20 this year. From Ashanti to Greater Accra to the northern regions, more than 200 robberies have been recorded. Some of our members have even lost their lives,” he said.
He stressed that without firm guarantees of protection, mobile money operators cannot be part of government’s new economic model.
“…for mobile money agents to also be included in the 24-hour initiative, unless government is providing targeted security for our businesses, we cannot risk extending operations. We already suffer robberies during the daytime,” he added.
The summit also drew attention to infrastructure challenges that hinder service delivery, such as poor network connectivity and frequent power cuts. President of the Ghana FinTech Association, Martin Awaga, said these issues make it difficult for agents to work effectively.
“Many agents work in areas where there is poor network connectivity. Frequent power cuts and rising insecurity only worsen the problem,” he observed.
While government has promoted the 24-hour economy as a vehicle for productivity, job creation, and competitiveness, stakeholders maintain that without security interventions and infrastructure investment, mobile money agents will be forced to opt out of the initiative.
