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Category: Tech News

  • 70 Per Cent Of Mobile Money Scams Are Preventable – Ursula Owusu-Ekuful

    70 Per Cent Of Mobile Money Scams Are Preventable – Ursula Owusu-Ekuful

    The Minister of Communications, Mrs Ursula Owusu-Ekuful has said about 70 per cent of mobile money scams in the country could have been prevented if patrons of the services were aware of the risks associated with the operations of such services as some Ghanaians are getting worried over the increasing cases of Mobile Money fraud in the country.

    The issue is said to threaten the growth of the industry as well as financial inclusion.

    Some victims of Mobile Money fraud who narrated their ordeal to Citi Business News expressed worry over the canker.

    Mobile money which hitherto was a safe means of transacting business now seems to be an opportunity for scammers.

    Speaking at the launch of the National Cyber Security awareness month 2018 and the launch of the National Cyber Security Awareness Programme at the Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT in Accra, Mrs. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful said the criminal elements behind the cloned accounts used such accounts to defraud unsuspecting members of the public, explaining that, “there is ample reason for the persistent of these scams and is very simple… lack of awareness on cyber risks and trends by the majority of our citizens is the reason.”

    However, a month-long awareness programme dubbed “A Safer Digital Ghana” has been launched.

    The awareness month is to bring to the attention of the general public, the already critical importance of security within the cyber ecosystem of our country, as well as the profound impact of dynamic technologies in our lives.

    The Safer Digital Ghana campaign, focusing on four key thematic areas – Children, the Public, Business and the Government – has been developed to respond to the increasing spate of cyber crimes and cyber security breaches which could potentially undermine the gains from Ghana’s digitalization agenda, according to officials of the Ministry of Communication.

  • BitSiki pauses Bitcoin transactions; resumes selling after August 30, 2018

    BitSiki pauses Bitcoin transactions; resumes selling after August 30, 2018

    Bitcoin exchange BitSika was launched in Ghana, enabling users to buy large and small sums of bitcoin instantly via web or USSD.

    Launched earlier this year, BitSika allows both connected and unconnected people to buy and sell bitcoin, and also acts as a wallet service.

    The bootstrapped startup is in the process of raising a US$100,000 seed round which it hopes will fund its mission to lead Ghana’s crypto space.

    Founder Atsu Davoh said the team had been encouraged by the early uptake of the platform.

    “In less than two days, there were over 200 requests to join. The team anticipated 20. The increasing number of new users meant that we had to increase the RAM of our web server to handle the traffic”

    “BitSika also ran out of free bitcoin wallet addresses to give out to new users because we had exhausted all the addresses given to us by the API startup. We refused to charge users for addresses because that was not part of the initial plan. Users kept coming in and their orders kept increasing past what was normally allowed through MTN mobile money.”

    Due to the fundraising activities, the site has paused selling bitcoins. The site is, however, active for all users to test all features of BitSika.

  • MTN Ghana Launches Mobile Money Month 2018 at Kasoa

    MTN Ghana Launches Mobile Money Month 2018 at Kasoa

    Telecommunication giant, MTN Ghana has urged for more acceptance of the cashless mode of transactions so the country can reap the numerous benefits associated with digitized payments.

    Speaking at the launch of the 2018 Mobile Money Month held at Kasoa Market, General Manager for Mobile Financial Services at MTN, Mr Eli Hini said there was a need to take a second look at the mode of payments in Ghana. (more…)

  • ICGC goes Digital in Tithes and Offering Collection

    ICGC goes Digital in Tithes and Offering Collection

    The International Central Gospel Church (ICGC) has introduced a new method for the paying of offering and tithes from anywhere via the use of a mobile app.

    According to an advert on the official twitter handle of Joy News and Adom TV on Sunday, 29th July 2018, members of ICGC who are unable to attend church on Sundays can pay their offering through the online bill payment platform – ExpressPay. (more…)

  • Introducing Chipper Cash – A Cross-border Mobile Money Platform

    Introducing Chipper Cash – A Cross-border Mobile Money Platform

    A new mobile money platform is hitting the market, through which users can send and receive money from foreign countries at no cost.

    The mobile app named Chipper Cash, also enables users to send and receive money from one telecom service provider to another, for instance in the case of Uganda, from MTN Mobile Money, to Airtel Money.

    Chipper Cash is the brainchild of Ham Serunjogi, a Ugandan based in the US city of San Francisco.

    Mr Serunjogi tells Chimpreports, the money transfer platform is the first of its kind in Africa, and is already operational in Uganda and Tanzania.

    “Chipper Cash will facilitate completely free and instantaneous peer to peer payments, both within a country as well as from one country to another,” he said. (more…)

  • Digital Payments are starting to take over from other payments in Ghana

    Digital Payments are starting to take over from other payments in Ghana

    There is an increasing shift away from the use of cheques to electronic payments channels for various transactions. Although cheques continue to have the single largest share, it is growing at a slower pace while other electronic payments are experiencing a faster growth in patronage.

    This is demonstrated in the half year summary performance of GhIPSS product.

    The dominance of cheques begun to reduce following the introduction of electronic payment products. In the first half of 2016, it accounted for 39 per cent of products and services offered through the Ghana Interbank Payment and Settlement System (GhIPSS) platform. (more…)

  • You have up to the 31st of July 2018 to buy your MTN Ghana Shares

    You have up to the 31st of July 2018 to buy your MTN Ghana Shares

    MTN Ghana’s Initial Share Offer (IPO)which was launched on May 29th, 2018 to sell 4,637,394,533 ordinary shares, representing 35% of MTN Ghana (Scancom PLC)is scheduled to end at 5:00 pm on July 31st 2018.

    As per the IPO Prospectus, the minimum number of shares to be sold for the IPO to be successful is 463,739,453, representing ten per cent (10%) of the total number of shares on offer.

    With a few days to the end of the IPO, MTN Ghana has confirmed that the offer period will not be extended.

    Sharing updates on the progress made so far since the launch, the CEO of MTN Ghana, Selorm Adadevoh said MTN used innovative and convenient ways of getting people to participate in the IPO and as a result, the company engaged stakeholders in many districts, big towns and markets in all 10regions of the country. MTN Ghana has also used all of its events and digital channels to talk about the IPO and to explain why people should participate in it.

    Mr Adadevoh said, “We believe that we have given more than enough time for people to make up their minds”.

    He said, “The reason why we took this approach is that we want to reach all Ghanaians and to give them an opportunity to hear about our offering and to decide whether or not to own shares in our company. We have received a lot of commendations about these multiple channels”.

    Selorm Adadevoh also lauded the innovative decision to use Mobile Money for the IPO and mentioned that a significant number of the subscriptions received was done through MTN Mobile Money.

    The IPO, which is the largest IPO on the Ghana Stock Exchange, is expected to increase the capitalisation and activity within the equity market. The IPO is indicative of MTN Group’s long-term confidence in Ghana’s economic prospects.

    The IPO Prospectus can be accessed electronically via www.mtnghanashares.com. Physical copies can be collected from any MTN Ghana office or branches of the Receiving Banks or Receiving Agents (Brokers).In addition to these channels, prospective applicants can receive the IPO Prospectus on their smartphones by dialling *533#.

    An applicant can subscribe using the MTN Mobile Money USSD platform by Dialling *170# or through the Offer website www.mtnghanashares.com. Prospective applicants can also buy through the sponsoring broker, IC Securities.

    Read further instructions on how to buy your MTN Shares here.

    The IPO closes at 5 pm on 31st July 2018 and, following approval from the Securities and Exchange Commission, trading on the Ghana Stock Exchange is expected to begin on 5th September 2018. Once the offer period has ended, applications will be reviewed and collated and allotments will commence. Applications received after the offer period will not be considered or processed.

  • CWG Ghana awards Best Graduating Student in Computer Science at UG

    CWG Ghana awards Best Graduating Student in Computer Science at UG

    CWG Ghana, a full-service Information Technology (IT) company, as part of its annual corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme, has awarded Edwina Borteley Abam for emerging as the best graduating student in Computer Science at the University of Ghana for the 2016/17 academic year.

    CWG Ghana has sponsored the best graduating student from the Computer Science Department of the University of Ghana for more than five years to highlight its belief in supporting the best information technology talents for the nation’s future.

    The last four awards have been won by women.

    Speaking after the presentation, Managing Director of CWG Ghana, Harriet Attram Yartey, pointed out that the presentation of the annual award was an attestation of the importance CWG attaches to hard work and qualitative education.

    “We boast of an array of professionals whose expertise has formed the core of service providers across Africa. Our premium on quality workforce explains our emphasis on quality education,” she further noted.

    Mrs Yartey said that CWG Ghana would continue to support students at the university and extend it to other tertiary institutions.

    She stressed that education ultimately offers young people the best opportunity in life to achieve their dreams and become the leaders of tomorrow.

    Ms Abam, who received the award in the presence of her parents, thanked CWG for the honour.

    “I am humbled and I give all the glory to God. I feel good to be a proud winner of this very special award.”

    She noted that the award would continue to encourage other students, especially continuing students.

    CWG Ghana Limited, a member of the pan-African Information Communication Technology Company, CWG Plc, provides products and services that cut across the ICT value chain of hardware, software and communications.

    CWG Ghana has a diversified its customer base and is represented in various sectors of the Ghanaian economy such as telecoms, banking & financial services, oil & gas and services.

  • AirtelTigo welcomes ‘Explor’ internship programme participants

    AirtelTigo welcomes ‘Explor’ internship programme participants

    Telecom operator, AirtelTigo has welcomed 40 students from various universities in the country to its premier skills development programme ‘Explor’, aimed to nurture and build opportunities for the next generation of talents.

    During their three-month internship, students will be working within the company’s Technology, Brand and Communications, Commercial, Customer Operations, Human Resources, Sales, Finance, AirtelTigo Money and AirtelTigo Business departments.

    They will be exposed to real-world work situations while receiving one-on-one mentoring for leadership skills. Over 400 students applied to take part in the programme, however, the number was pruned down to 40 participants.

    The applicants were taken through a rigorous selection process which included the submission of a video, resume and a face-to-face interview with a panel.

    “This is a great opportunity for me to discover the career path I want to pursue. This programme will also offer me the platform to learn from the seasoned professionals at AirtelTigo; challenge myself and be a change agent in the society,” a participant from the University of Ghana, Crystal Ahiable said during the induction ceremony.

    Underscoring its commitments to equip young people with the necessary skills to find work in the digital economy, the Chief Executive Officer for AirtelTigo, Mrs Mitwa Kaemba Ng’ambi, said the company’s aim is to become the most sought-after employer.

    She explained that the internship programme was borne out of the company’s belief in empowering young people with opportunities to harness their skills and learn new practical abilities.

    “We believe this programme will expose the students to the operations within the telecommunication industry, and offer them the opportunity to gain valuable applied experience,” said Mrs Ng’ambi.

  • Kumasi Hive wins 2018 Miss.Africa Digital Prize worth $5,000

    Kumasi Hive wins 2018 Miss.Africa Digital Prize worth $5,000

    Kumasi Hive from Ghana was announced Tuesday as winners of the 2018 Miss.Africa Digital Seed Funding for STEM Programmes Grand Prize while, INTELLECT-Team at Laboratory of Technologies for Smart Systems (CRNS) Tunisia and Eco-Sol Consulting (Full STEM Ahead!) Seychelles will take home the Second category prize of 1,000 USD.

    The winners were announced by the Pan-African trust program of DotConnectAfrica (DCA) Tuesday.

    The winner, Kumasi Hive is a multi-space innovation place for rapid prototyping of ideas, budding local innovations, impact start-up support and promoting youth entrepreneurship as a way of addressing critical social economic and developmental challenges. (more…)