GhIPSS to support Ghana Water Company

The Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) has been urged to use Direct Debit payment system to reduce revenue losses.

That’s a suggestion by the Chief Executive of the Ghana Interbank Payment and Settlement Systems (GhIPSS), operators of the national electronic payment system.

The Ghana Water Company has indicated to pilot a prepaid metering system for water as it battles commercial losses due to the refusal of some consumers to pay their water bills. Some civil society groups have already criticized the idea, saying, it could deprive the poor of a basic necessity of life.

But speaking to the media, CEO of GhIPSS, Archie Hesse said the Direct Debit, which is an electronic payment system that enables a bank customer to instruct its bankers to make payments to a third party, provides an option for the GWCL to reduce its losses.

Mr. Hesse explains that since the Direct Debit is electronic, once the customer issues the instruction, the deductions and subsequent transfers will be made automatically. Customers who pay by Direct Debit would not need to visit the banking halls to issue such instructions.

He continued that GhIPSS has different electronic payment systems that various institutions are applying for easy collection of monies as well as making payments.

Mr. Hesse also intimated that GhIPSS can support Ghana Water Company, in case it decides to introduce the prepaid meters, by enabling customers to pay their bills with their ATM cards on the hybrid Point of Sales terminals.

According to him, his outfit will not hesitate to have discussions with the GWCL and other utility companies on how to deploy various electronic payment systems to make it easier for them to collect monies due them.

The GhIPSS Boss was optimistic that with various services being rolled out, there should be a lot of flexibility and convenience in payments of any form in the very near future.