The Ghana Interbank Payment and Settlement Systems (GHIPSS) has launched a new electronic payment system dubbed ‘GH Dual Card’, which is a two-in-one card that allows both E-zwich and gh-link transactions.
The function of the card is to give users access to money stored on both E-zwich and banks accounts, something which could only be done previously with two different cards.
To ensure that the card does not become redundant, government officials travelling on national assignments outside the country will soon be required to use the card to promote transparency and accountability. The card is also expected to facilitate financial inclusion among citizens.
The Ghana government has said it plans to use the GH Dual Card to erase ghost names on government payroll. “We are going to require that all government workers will be paid through the filter of the e-zwich card; all public workers which do not have the card will be issued with it – and this will make sure 100 percent that for the whole public sector payroll, we can say there are no ghost workers in the system,” Vice President, Mahamadou Bawumia said at the launch.
Mahamadou Bawumia holds a GH Dual Card
He added that the newly-launched dual card is part of a payment system architecture that government is putting in place to reduce the cost of providing cards as the GH Dual Card has been designed to give cardholders access to both funds on their e-zwich cards and in their bank accounts at the same time.
“It will provide financial institutions with an opportunity to cut down on the cost of issuing two separate cards to the same customer, as they now have the option of issuing a dual card that incorporates the functionalities of both gh-link and e-zwich cards,” he said.
We hope the introduction of the card is also a welcoming news to tenants of Green Views, considering that most expatriates are used to the electronic payment system other than hard cash.
