The Ghana Telecoms Chamber says it is collaborating with the Central Bank to develop a policy guideline to regulate Mobile Money transactions in the wake of attacks on vendors.

CEO of the Chamber Ken Ashigbey says they have been engaging various other stakeholders to develop a policy guideline which will look into the establishment of mobile money centres in the country.

There’s been a widespread attack on mobile money vendors in the country, with a recent case being a vendor who shot and killed on Monday night at Asylum Down in Accra.

“There is quite a lot of education that has gone on with the agents in terms of how they need to protect themselves and not risk their lives and property.

“Following the meeting with the police, we also had a meeting with the Bank of Ghana (BoG) where all the stakeholders were brought together to look at the issue of security of the operators,” he said.

According to him, there have been plans to introduce insurance for the vendors so they do not lose their money when they are attacked. To this end, he said some insurance companies have also been engaged.

He said it is not an issue limited to the mobile money vendors but a general security issue that everyone must be concerned about.

Commenting on the development, the President of the Mobile Money Advocacy group, Nyarkoa Boaitey Addo told Joy News’ Israel Laryea armed persons have attacked mobile money vendors almost on a daily basis.  

“The vendors choose not to report some of the incidents because they do not get the needed assistance from the security services.

“We constantly advise our members to take some personal security measures so they protect themselves and their money,” she said.

According to her, the advice is helping some of the members who are adhering to the advice like closing enough before it gets dark.

“Ideally, 5 pm is enough but some work as late as 10 pm and even as late as 12 midnight. We tell them not to keep bulk cash with them but most of them but liaise with the banks so they keep less cash with them,” she added.

Cataloguing the attacks, Joy News Nana Yaw Gymah reported that in June this year, a female vendor was shot twice in the thigh by robbers who attacked her.

“They took a huge sum of money from her and shot her even after she ran to a nearby pub,” he said stressing the attacked happened in broad daylight.

The situation is no different in Winneba in the Central region where Richard Kojo Nyarko reported that vendors are living in fear.

He said they are torn between their lives and having a means of survival.

“Many of them have moved from the secluded places of business to a more central place where it will be difficult to attack them. A merchant told me she will close earlier than 10 pm as a precautionary measure,” he said.

They are pleading with authorities in charge to beef up security in the area and country so they are not wantonly attacked.

Meanwhile, the Greater Accra Region Police Commander, DCOP George Alex Mensah has warned operators to be mindful of the areas they set up their business as they engage the Ghana Telecoms Chamber on how to deal with the attacks.