The Chief Executive Officer for Ghana Interbank Payment and Settlement Systems (GhIPSS), Archie Hesse says as Ghana moves towards the adaptation of digital payment systems, the use of smartphones or lack of it won’t dictate the success of the programme.

This according to Mr. Hesse is because GhIPSS has made “provisions for smartphone users and USSD feature phone users also known as yam phones."

According to him, the Covid-19 pandemic served as a huge catalyst in helping people appreciate the need to accept digital modes of payment and operation.

The cashless process is said to be operated through a QR Code set up.

"The current dispensation we are in acted as a catalyst for us to speed up. Suddenly, there was a need for all of us to transact electronically."

The Chief Executive Officer stated that in putting together the algorithm and makeup of the QR code, the team had to factor in situations and circumstances where one does not have access to a smartphone.

"In other to use it, you must have to scan it, it’s not everybody who carries a smartphone, so we then decided that we are going to have an associated number underneath the QR Code.

“If you don’t have a smartphone, you can use your payment service providers USSD, for example, *165#, press return, you will see a menu which says Gh QR Code as soon as you press that, you can type in the menu," he explained.

Mr. Archie Hesse disclosed that the Gh QR runs on mobile money inter-probability program, where mobile money operation, the Bank, and all funding sources are interconnected to ensure its feasibility.

“If you’re a merchant and your payment service provider happens to be a bank or mobile money company you can still receive money from anybody or funding source in the country because of mobile money interoperability.

"We have ensured that it doesn’t matter where your funding source is, you can transact universally in the country."