The Electronic Money Issuers (EMIS) Chamber of Ghana has called for urgent and decisive action to protect Mobile Money Agents as armed robbers continue to launch violent attacks at their posts, making away with cash and, in some extreme cases, killing agents.
Condemning the violent crimes, The EMIS Chamber expressed worry the vicious attacks have assumed worrisome proportions with three agents losing their lives in three separate incidents across the country.
The EMIS Chamber wants government and law enforcement agencies to develop workable strategies to address the growing menace, insisting the death of agents is unacceptable.
“The EMIS Chamber of Ghana would like to call on the President, the Interior and Finance Ministers, the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and the Governor of Bank of Ghana to work with us to take urgent measures to protect all mobile money agents from these senseless attacks.
“We are particularly concerned about the increasing frequency of these violent crimes and urge law enforcement agencies to intensify efforts to bring the perpetrators to justice.”
Three Mobile Money agents dying in one month is entirely unacceptable. One life lost is one too many,” the statement emphasized.
Leadership of the EMIS Chamber fear the development threatens a critical service that is accelerating financial inclusion and providing employment to millions across the country
““Mobile money agents are critical in Ghana’s financial ecosystem, facilitating secure and accessible financial transactions for millions of Ghanaians.”
The alarming rise in these attacks threatens not only their safety but also the stability of the financial services ecosystem across the country,” a stern statement from the EMIS Chamber read.
The Chamber further dismissed the popular notion that portrays MOMO agents as persons carrying huge sums of money on them insisting that contrary to the erroneous perception, their outlets largely facilitate digital instant payment services.
While the chamber commiserated with the families of victims; It disclosed that some negotiations with the Ghana Police Service and the Central Bank have commenced with assurances of finding the best strategies to provide a safe environment for mobile money agents to operate without fear.
“As part of our commitment to ensuring the safety of mobile money agents, the Chamber is taking immediate steps to engage the leadership of the Ghana Police Service to find effective security solutions to combat this growing menace,”
We will also engage the Bank of Ghana on the Agent Registry and Security of Agents project to help protect our partners,” the EMIS Chamber assured.
The EMIS Chamber has also cautioned Mobile Money Agents to take personal precaution; endeavor to operate only within the day time; make their services visible to the public and the police and remain vigilant to identify and report suspicious movements to the security services.
