Foreigners Without Ghanacard Face Digital Financial Exclusion

Accra: A significant number of foreign nationals in Ghana, particularly Burkinabe, Nigerian, and Niger citizens, are facing severe challenges in accessing essential digital financial services. Their major obstacle is their ignorance and inability to obtain a Ghana Card, a national identification document that has become indispensable for digital transactions like Mobile Money services.According to Ghana News Agency, this lack of access to the Ghana Card prevents them from obtaining a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card, which is crucial for undertaking mobile money services, an integral aspect of Ghana's growing digital financial landscape. Ms. Mariam Ali, a trader and a Niger citizen, who has been residing and doing business in Ghana for more than five years, complained that she is often cheated by her confidantes who receive money via mobile money on her behalf. She explained that due to her inability to acquire a Ghana Card for a SIM card, she had to use a confidante's Ghana Card to acquire a SIM card, while she receives funds from customers through his phone number.Ms. Mariam expressed her struggles, stating that some of her customers insist on paying through mobile money, leaving her with no option but to accept. She noted that sometimes her confidante spends the money and claims he was in dire financial circumstances, leading to confusion and significant loss of revenue. Mr. Nuhu Sadick, an Okada rider and a Burkinabe citizen residing in Ghana, said he was unaware that provisions have been made for foreign nationals to acquire the Ghana Card. He was informed by some of his countrymen that foreign nationals were barred from acquiring the Ghana Card, forcing him to rely on friends to receive money on his behalf. The Burkinabe citizen said he had lost close to GHS 7,000 by relying on others to receive mobile money payments.The National Identification Authority states that foreign nationals are required to pay a cedi equivalent of $130 and a cedi equivalent of $60 for renewals. Nigerian citizens are not exempt from this struggle. Mr. Jonathan Nonso, a phone repairer, highlighted the significant hurdles he faces in accessing financial services in Ghana. He noted that the Ghana Card was quite expensive to acquire, especially the version for foreign nationals, thus he was forced to use the identity cards of friends in Ghana to register for mobile money and other services. Mr. Nonso added that he was forced to send money to his family in Nigeria via third parties, although his family often complained of not receiving the money.