Mobile network operator Airtel has teamed up with Verifone Mobile Money to bring contactless m-payments to Ghana.
Under the deal, NFC-enabled POS terminals will be provided to Airtel Ghana merchants around the West African country. The telco's 1.5 million Airtel Money customers will then be able to pay from their mobile wallets either with their NFC-enabled handsets or through a provided contactless sticker.
Chris Jones, chief executive, Verifone Mobile Money, says: "We believe that NFC technology and the roll out of contactless 'tap and pay' across the African continent will help to realize the true economic benefits of cashless economies while driving mobile money adoption through an improved merchant payments experience."
Lucy Quist, MD, Airtel Ghana, adds: "This is a more efficient mode of payment as it reduces the number of steps customers have to go through to make a mobile money payment. The use of this new technology will further deepen the growing acceptance of cashless payments in Ghana."