The Electronic Money Issuers (EMIs) Chamber of Ghana has called for urgent action to protect the mobile money fraternity after a wave of attacks on the mobile money agents.
Condemning the action as a threat to their business and individuals as a whole, the Chamber expressed its sympathies to the families of the mobile money agents whose lives were taken by certain unscrupulous individuals.
A statement issued by Mr. Louis Bobbie Osei, Regulatory and Research Manager of the Chamber said: “We also want to extend our condolences to the entire mobile money agents’ fraternity following the recent spate of attacks and killings”.
The Chamber stressed that urgent action is needed to protect the thousands of agents who play a critical role in Ghana’s financial system.
Mobile money agents are the backbone of Ghana’s digital financial ecosystem, facilitating millions of daily transactions and driving financial inclusion across the country; hence, the attacks not only endanger their lives but also threaten the stability of mobile money services nationwide.
Mr Osei said three Mobile Money agents dying in one month is entirely unacceptable. “One life lost is one too many.”
He called for action to protect mobile money agents, urging President John Dramani Mahama, the Interior and Finance Ministers, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), and the Governor of the Bank of Ghana to collaborate with EMIs to implement essential safety measures.
He also expressed concern about the rising frequency of violent crimes targeting these agents, urging law enforcement agencies to intensify their efforts to bring the perpetrators to justice.
As part of its commitment to ensuring the safety of mobile money agents, he said the Chamber was taking steps to engage the Ghana Police Service to develop effective security solutions.
“We will also collaborate with the Bank of Ghana on the Agent Registry and the Security of Agents project to provide protection for our partners, we want to state that “mobile money agents do not carry significant amounts of money with them,” Mr. Osei said.
He stated that although the EMIs Chamber expected swift action from security agencies, it strongly advised all mobile money agents to implement precautionary measures.
He suggested that agents avoid transporting large sums of cash and conducting transactions in isolated locations and should invest in CCTV cameras, panic alarms, and security systems at their operating points.
