MoMo: MTN postpones implementation date for valid ID requirement

Telecommunications giant, MTN Ghana has disclosed it will extend a deadline that requires customers on its mobile money platform to present a valid national ID for transactions.

The implementation was earlier expected to kick off from February 1, 2021 but according to General Manager of Mobile Money Limited, Eli Hini, the directive has since been moved to April 1, 2021.

Mr Hini speaking to Citi Business News explained the extension was to allow the company provide a timeline for sensitization to its mobile money agents and customers.

“That timeline will now be first of April for full implementation because we are trying to give adequate time to ensure customer education has gone to all the areas of the country,” he stated.

He added that the new requirement for IDs will also go towards assisting its customers and agents to deal with mobile money related fraud which have been on the rise.

“It’s not a new requirement it’s just that it has been very lax. Typically, if you look on all our posters, we have put it there clearly at the agent point that all transactions should come with IDs but over the period, a lot of our agents have laxed that, unless you go to our branches and our key stakeholder points, that’s where they enforce it and what is coming out is that most customers would rather avoid those places and go to where IDs are not demanded,” Hini explained.

He added, “We have realized that is also impacting on the fraud issues as well, and we needed to step it up. We are now doing it on a system level, so the system is now demanding the agent to make that as part of the transaction process, it’s to help us also deal with our fraud issues that have become very much of a challenge”.

From April 1, 2021, transactions on the MTN mobile money platform will require customers to present a Driving License, a valid passport, the Ghana Card, Voter ID card, NHIS and SSNIT Identifications which have been sanctioned for use.