Ghana Card Payment Milestone

What's Up AfricaGhana Biometric ID Card
Written By Theo Edwards

Enhances local financial inclusion but does not replace global networks like Visa or Mastercard continent-wide.

Ghana's National Identification Authority (NIA) has integrated e-wallet functionality into the Ghana Card, enabling citizens to store funds, execute payments, and perform transactions locally directly via their biometric ID.

NIA plans to link the Ghana Card to mobile money accounts, bank accounts, and driver's licenses, facilitating payments independent of vendor phone numbers or MoMo identifiers.

Broader global use as a payment or travel document remains limited without bilateral agreements. Rollout commenced in early 2026.

Acting NIA CEO Yayra Koku emphasized instant card replacements through fingerprint verification at service centers.

Holders can activate features via the MyCitizens App, which uses the Ghana Card number for registration, or USSD codes like 402# (hashtag) for services. Similar short codes, such as 404# (hashtag), handle SIM registrations with Ghana Card details.

Other countries in Africa, such as Nigeria, initiated e-wallet functionality on their National Identification Number (NIN) card in 2025, achieving full implementation. South Africa and Rwanda have commenced their respective implementation phases for similar ID-integrated e-wallet systems.

Theo Edwards

Theo Edwards has over twenty years of diverse Information Technology experience. He spent his days playing with all things IBMi, portal, mobile application, and enterprise business functional and architectural design.

Before joining IBM as Staff Software Engineer, Theo worked as a programmer analyst and application specialist for businesses hosting eCommerce suite on IBMi platform. He has been privileged to co-author numerous publications such as Technical Handbooks, White paper, Tutorials, Users Guides, and FAQs. Refer to manuals here. Theo also holds a degree in Computer Science, Business Administration and various certifications in information security and technologies. He considers himself a technophile since his engagement at Cable & Wireless then later known SLET.

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