Electronic payment regime catches on

Accra, July 1, GNA - The electronic payment regime, which seeks to reduce cash transactions in the country, is certainly catching on. And the testimonial of an important service provider, MultiChoice Ghana Limited, about the "amazing technology", speaks volumes about this service, which the authorities wish will be used by the population. MultiChoice officials said in Accra on Tuesday that the txtNpay electronic payment system currently used by DStv subscribers to pay bills had considerably transformed the service's bill payment regime and enhanced the payment of DStv subscription.

Mr Aaron Ampofo, Operations Manager at MultiChoice, told journalists that the use of Afric Xpress' txNpay platform had increased collection and minimized traffic at the corporate offices of the satellite television broadcaster, but expressed the hope that more subscribers went cashless in the payment of monthly bills to enable the company to focus on enriching customer care and satisfaction. "While we are getting reports from many subscribers about the thrill and convenience of paying their bills by phone through txtNpay, we still have some subscribers who are yet to catch up with this amazing technology," Mr Ampofo said.

He said it would take some time for some people to understand that besides the safety and convenience txtNpay introduced to DStv bill payment, the transactions were entirely traceable and therefore were as guaranteed as direct cash payments.

TxtNpay is a secured mobile phone-based payment system which enables its users to pay utility bills, send money to any other mobile phone user, buy prepaid air time, check bank account balances and purchase goods and service.

The txtNpay "wallet" is an electronic stored-value account which customers can charge by buying txtNpay "electronic cash" at approved Afric Xpress partner shops, service providers and accredited txtNpay outlets.

TxtNpay became the main payment platform for DStv subscribers in April, following partnership arrangements concluded between Afric Xpress and Ghana's premier and most popular PAY TV satellite television service.

"MultiChoice is not exactly a money collection company; our core business is to manage the interests of our subscribers and sell the DStv hardware," Anne Sackey, MultiChoice's Public Relations Manager, told journalists when the DStv's-txtNpay platform was launched by Afric Xpress four months ago.

Since then, several hundreds of DStv subscribers in the Accra Metropolis now pay their bills from the handsets of their mobile phones and MultiChoice officials say they look forward to a sharp hike in both subscription and payment should txtNpay eventually extend into the hinterlands.

Afric Xpress currently has a network of 150 outlets across the metropolis and is preparing to launch into the regions, starting from Ashanti, Eastern and the Western Region. Kumasi, where the Silverpharma, Silvercrest Supermarket, Elvisat and Cologne City outlets are based and Winneba in the Central Region, with its Otoo Digital Technology outlet, happen to be the only cities outside Accra currently enjoying the benefits of txtNpay service. Ms. Marie-Dominique Aboukan, Head of Sales and Marketing at Afric Xpress, insists that her company is determined to extend the opportunity and convenience of phone-based transactions to all of the country's ten regions, including remote and presumably inaccessible parts of the country.

She said Afric Xpress was also working hard to bring on board key merchants, with a view to facilitating speedy secured non-cash payments for important utility services like electricity and water.