The Government of Ghana through the Economic Management Team, the Bank of Ghana, Ghana Interbank Payment and Settlement Systems (GhIPPS), the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Communications, the National Communications Authority (NCA), the Telecommunication Companies such as MTN, Vodafone and AirtelTigo, and a licensed Online Marketing Company and Digital Service provider known as KGL Technology Limited have done tremendously well to enhance the digitalization Programme of the Government.
Ghana has the baseline infrastructure such as Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGs), Automated Teller Machines (ATMs), POS Switches coupled with Mobile Money Interoperability, all aimed at achieving the digitalization of the Ghanaian economy.
However, we would like to recommend to Government and other relevant stakeholders that, one of the practical ways to further enhance the digitalization project of Government would be through the collaboration with KGL Technology Limited, a licensed online marketing company and digital service provider responsible for the operation of the digital short code *959#.
The *959# has proven to be a very robust platform capable of providing other important digital services apart from the usual business of generating revenue for the National Lottery Authority (NLA).
The digital short code *959# has been well marketed and the brand has an outstanding base, with the potential for serving as a purpose vehicle for other services such as but not limited to:
- Payment of Water Bills through collaboration with Ghana Water Company Limited.
- Payment of Electricity Bills through collaboration with ECG.
- Payment of Cocoa Farmers through collaboration with Cocobod.
- Registration of TIN aimed at ensuring Voluntary Tax Compliance. This would be done through collaboration with the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).
We believe that, the effective collaboration between KGL Technology Limited and Government of Ghana through the Economic Management Team, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Communications and Digitalization, and other organizations such as the ECG, Cocobod, Ghana Water Company Limited, Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) etc., would help to further strengthen the provision of digital services, e-commerce and the overall digitalization project as championed by the Government of Ghana.
