GhIPSS extends boundaries for 'cashless' shopping

The Ghana Interbank Payment and Settlement Systems (GhIPSS) has begun deployment of hybrid POSes, which accept both local ATM cards and e-zwich cards throughout the country.

GhIPSS is now deploying the POSes in the Ashanti, Western, Eastern, Northern and Brong Ahafo regions, as well as other towns in the Greater Accra region.

It is common practice for shoppers to carry huge sums of money to shop, but with these POSes, the public can use the usual local ATM card from their banks or the e-zwich card to make payments just as it pertains in advanced countries.

Speaking in an interview, the Head of Business Development, Mary Dei-Sarpong, said the organisation had started the deployment of the POSes at some hotels, pharmacies and shopping centres.

She said the deployment was in line with GhIPSS’s plan to make the terminals available in all the regions of the country.

This means that the ability of bank customers to use their local ATM cards to directly make payment, is no longer limited to Accra.

She said the deployment would continue until many of the key outlets in the regions had the POSes.

She explained that the deployment would continue simultaneously in all the regions at very strategic locations.

Mrs Dei-Sarpong said enough educational campaign would be carried out alongside the deployment to ensure that these POSes were patronized by the public.

GhIPSS last year begun deploying these POS terminals as part of its mandate to migrate the economy to from high dependency on cash to a cash-lite one, where cards and other electronic forms of payment would become common.

In Accra, almost 330 POSes have been deployed at major shopping outlets, pharmacies, hotels, restaurants, and beauty parlours.

Mrs. Dei-Sarpong explained that payment had been made a lot more easy and convenient with the hybrid POSes.

“Instead of going to withdraw money from the bank, or the ATM outlet, you can now use your ATM card to pay without physical cash as it happens abroad,” she emphasized.

“This is just the beginning but we will soon flood the system with these POSes and paying with card will become the norm, that is our goal,” Mrs Dei-Sarpong added.

The deployment of the POSes is being done jointly with the banks, which are helping their clients (shops) to have them.

Mrs. Dei-Sarpong, urged shop owners to contact their banks to assist them in getting the POSes.

She said the benefit of the POSes were enormous and, therefore, encouraged shop owners to make sure they availed themselves of the opportunity to have the terminal at their outlets.

Since its establishment in 2007, by the Bank of Ghana, GhIPSS has been working to introducing various electronic forms of payments to ensure that the country gradually moves away from the heavy dependence on cash for payments.