MOMO Advocacy Group Expects Surge in Transactions After E-Levy Abolition
Story By: Rebecca Okine
Vice President of the Mobile Money Advocacy Group Ghana (MOMAG), Albert Otu Siaw has expressed the associations expectations of a significant boost in mobile money transactions following the removal of the E-levy.
His comments follow the official assent to the abolition of the Electronic Transfer Bill (E-levy) among others by President John Dramani Mahama on April 2, 2025 at the Jubilee House.
Speaking on Zed 101.9 FM’s current affairs show The FOCUS on Saturday April 6, 2025, Mr. Siaw explained that with the elimination of the e-levy more people will engage in mobile money services, leading to increased economic activity and opportunities for mobile money vendors across the country.
“Now people will not be afraid to send MoMo from their phones,” he said, “The levy has been removed so no fear of excessive charges.”
Despite the positive outlook, Mr. Siaw also warned that the perceived growing volume of transactions increases the potential for fraud and attacks targeting mobile money vendors. His comments come at a crucial time where there have been recent reports in the media about the attacks on mobile money vendors in various parts of the country.
Mr. Siaw stressed the importance of safeguarding the mobile money ecosystem, particularly in rural areas where vendors are often most vulnerable to criminal activities.
“It is unfortunate that some of these incidents are perpetuated among ourselves, our staff,” Mr. Siaw noted. “Some could lie with outsiders to cause this and so it’s very unfortunate that those we think could help us are rather aiding criminals.”
MOMAG’s Nationwide Awareness Campaigns
To address these threats, the Vice President of MOMAG explained that the group has ramped up its efforts in recent times to raise awareness among vendors and customers about these attacks as well as fraud prevention.
Although the group’s main office is located in Accra, it operates in all 16 regions through local representatives. Mr. Siaw described the group’s ongoing mobile money campaigns, which captures rural communities to educate and recruit new vendors as part of efforts to formalise their operations and offer some level of protection for them.
Currently, MOMAG has about 1,500 active members who benefit from the association’s services, including security updates and fraud prevention tips.
“If you are somebody who attends meetings regularly, you get updates of all the security tips and all the benefits that come with it,” Siaw explained. With the surge in mobile money transactions, Mr. Siaw emphasized that MOMAG’s focus remains on securing the welfare of vendors across the country.
