Gov’t pilots e-payment system

Minister of Communications Dr. Edward Omane Boamah says government’s shared e-payment being piloted by 12 selected Metropolitan and Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) has received an overwhelmingly positive response.

Speaking at the opening of the first e-Commerce Expo, Dr. Omane Boamah said introduction of the e-system shows government to e-commerce has already rolled-out a set of e-services which include web content management, e-Forms and Document Work Flow.

The Ghana E-Payment Platform (GEPP) has been developed to support various types of online payment methods complemented by Payall, a Ghana payment network accepting cash and cheque payments through an offline payment confirmation process. The GEPP is interfacing with different partners for online and offline processing of payments made for Governmental services on the e-Payment Platform.

“Indeed, a pilot e-Payments/e-Commerce platform has been developed as a shared service for 12 selected MDAs, and the initial tests on functionality have been positive. The Controller and Accountant-General’s Department has therefore been approached to initiate procedures for opening pool accounts for processing Visa and e-Transact payments.”

Organised by corporate-event host OML Africa, the Ghana e-Commerce Expo was a 2-day exhibition and conference under the theme “Building Ghana’s Businesses Online”, and brought together over 20 companies showcasing online solutions and products as well as nearly 60 delegates.

The Minister revealed that government institutions running the pilot e-payment system include the Passport Office, Driver and Vehicle Licencing Authority (DVLA), Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), Ghana Tourist Authority, Criminal Investigations Department (CID), and Ghana Police Service.

According to the organiser, “With over 50 million business professionals on the various social media networks, there is no doubt that any businesses that does not have a strategy of reaching out to this large mass of potential customers is doomed to fail.

“We understand the need for using technology as a necessity for survival in business and have lined up a world-class event.” Director-General of the National Information Technology Agency (NITA) William Tevie said the e-government infrastructure, which is designed to link all district assemblies via wireless networks, has made governance a lot easier.

The exhibition and conference took place simultaneously, creating a hub of activity and business networking with lots of visitors impressed with the display of domestic online products and solutions.

Some exhibitors included TigoCash, Ghana dot com, Internet Ghana, African Aurora Business Network, Mpower, Imaging Solutions, ProMobileGh and Nandi Mobile.