Mobile payments system: The challenges to its adoption in Ghana and what can be done to make it catch on?

Date

2010-05

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Abstract

Mobile Payment System (MPS), which is the use of mobile phone as a "wallet" to make payments through a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) connectivity or Short Message Service (SMS), or through a Near Field Communication (NFC), is increasingly becoming widely used in many countries globally, such as Japan, Korea, United States of America, South Africa and Kenya. The aim of this thesis is to use various research techniques, including questionnaire, interviews, observations and case studies to find out the challenges to the adoption of Mobile Payment Systems in Ghana, and propose solutions to encourage the wide acceptance of this platform, as a convenient alternative payment system in the country. Also, an application for Mobile Payments, named SikaPay is developed. Mobile phones present an enormous opportunity for use as a platform for a "Payments System". Traditionally in Ghana, financial transactions are made using physical cash or checks. However, from the survey conducted as part of this project, people are willing to use Mobile Payment system on their phones. Also, the application developed as part of this project simulated the flexibility of how a Mobile Payment System should be, by allowing user to create their own account and update their account at any time.

Description

Thesis submitted to the Department of Computer Science, Ashesi University College, in partial fulfillment of Bachelor of Science degree in Management Information Systems, May 2010

Keywords

Ghana, mobile payments system

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