Six government programmes pay GH¢218m through e-zwich, achieving transparency
Some six government social interventions and programmes have since June adopted e-zwich as the mode of paying beneficiaries.
Consequently, a total more than GH¢218 million were paid through e-zwich for these six programmes to more than 564,000 individuals between January and June this year, according to a half year report on the activities of Ghana Interbank Payment and Settlement Systems (GhIPSS).
It is a subsidiary of the Bank of Ghana, which operates the e-zwich platform.
The programmes include the National Service Scheme (NSS), the Ghana Social Opportunities Project (GSOP), and the Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP).
The rest are the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP), Youth Employment Agency (YEA) and the Japan Social Development Fund (JSDF).
This is besides the Student Loan Trust Fund and other para-statal organisations, such as the National Lotteries Authority which are also using the e-zwich.
According to report the move is to promote transparency and ensure that only the intended beneficiaries receive the payments.
The increasing use of the e-zwich by these government agencies is expected to drive the electronic payment agenda and subsequently reduce the country’s overreliance on cash transactions.
President John Mahama, a couple of years ago, stated the Government’s intention to increasingly use the e-zwich platform as mode of payments for a number state interventions and programmes.
The move, he said, was to foster transparency and promote the cash-lite agenda. Following from that pledge, the payment of National Service personnel on e-zwich went nationwide and other programmes also started using the biometric electronic payment system.
The President has also in recent times indicated his goal to channel more public sector payments through various electronic payment platforms.
This could see more agencies use the e-zwich and other electronic payment systems.
The Chief Executive of GhIPSS, Archie Hesse, welcomed the effort and said his outfit would continue to partner government to ensure that many more agencies use and benefit from the numerous advantages that the biometric payment system offers.
Source: GNA