Akumiah, a young man boarded a trotro from Osu headed to Spintex. Halfway through the journey, the trotro mate began his routine collection of transport fares and as it got to Akumiah’s turn he reached for his wallet and realized he had left it at his workplace. Distraught, he frantically searched his bag to see if he would find some loose change to pay his fare.

To his utter dismay, he had no change left in his bag and at that point, the impatient trotro mate had already started hurling abusive words at him whilst demanding his fare. Akumiah remembered he had some money in his mobile money wallet and immediately asked the mate in the local parlance “Wo gye Mobile Money?” This question infuriated the mate even more and if it wasn’t the timely intervention of a passenger who paid Akumiah’s transport fare, the situation would have been quite a messy one.

In the face of the fast-spreading Mobile Money payment revolution, there is always a dilemma on whether or not one needs to keep some money in their Mobile Money wallet or if it’s better to move around with cash. In an active economy like Ghana’s, where everything from getting breakfast to catching a ‘trotro’ at the bus stop and even using the public urinal all requires monetary transactions, one is always forced to keep some cash on them to avoid any embarrassment like Akumiah’s.

Kofi Asare, a driver’s mate at the Kaneshie trotro station working in a Circle bound commercial bus says he has never accepted transportation fares via Mobile Money because he believes it will be a very tedious and inconveniencing process. However, he has received money via Mobile Money and is appreciative of the convenience it offers him in sending money to his mother in a village in the Ashanti Region.

For two sisters who retail dresses at the Rawlings Park in Accra, collecting cash only was the best business decision they had made until one day they were attacked by knife-wielding robbers after a day’s work and rid of all their sales. This compelled the two to now make Mobile money the preferred payment option for all their transactions.

A 2016 Ericsson Consumer Insight Report, titled ‘Financial Services for Everyone: Bridging the gap between the banked and the unbanked in sub-Saharan Africa’ stated that despite the risk associated with cash, 8 out of 10 consumers suggest that the convenience and wide acceptability of cash makes it the dominant mode of transaction.

The report however said that the data for mobile money usage in Ghana is very promising. With 69 percent of Ghanaians using mobile money agents, consumers see mobile network providers as the top preferred service provider for a mobile money agent.

Safety and convenience are two major keys most people look out for when it comes to the use and management of their monies.

Despite the fact that these two features are characteristic of Mobile Money payments and puts it in a better place to enhance businesses and enable growth, cash transactions still enjoy some dominance in the system.

As more individuals and businesses revolve and are caught in the Mobile Money frenzy owing to its safety, convenience, and reliability, it is likely to become the primary mode of financial transaction in the next few years, although businesses will still need cash to top up their wallets.

Taking the step to stay ahead of the competition in this regard can be done effectively through a payment solution such as Hubtel’s POS which is an integrated Point-of-sale solution that works with a phone or tablet to process payments.

The POS solution enables small businesses receive and make payments in a safe, secure manner to help them make more profits and expand their businesses.

Just recently, a busy fabric retailer at Accra Central received a call from an unknown man claiming he had sent her GHs 800 mistakenly and therefore requested that she send the money back to him.

She was busy at the time so she quickly reached for her phone to immediately authorize the transfer of the said amount, but thought to quickly check her balance first. Upon checking her balance she realized that there was no such credit to her account. It was then that she became suspicious and did not authorize the transfer. That was how close she was to being a victim of one of the fastest-growing fraudulent mobile money tricks in Ghana.

The introduction of Mobile Money in Ghana has enabled businesses make and receive payments from others conveniently and remotely. The fast evolution of payment systems and drive into a cash-lite or cashless society in Ghana is being realized gradually with the growth of Mobile Money.

This innovative technology has also created an avenue for some unscrupulous persons to attempt exploring possible security lapses within the system to fraudulently withdraw money and tamper with users’ data. Although Mobile Money users are responsible for securing their end of the system to prevent ‘intruders’ from performing transactions on their behalf, they still stand at risk of the least security breach.

The Ministry of Communications in 2016 reported that mobile phone subscriptions in Ghana had soared to over 35 million. This coupled with the increasing financial literacy in the country, projects a boom in Mobile Money usage in Ghana. Although most mobile payment services/platforms are safe, cyber crooks are constantly trying to outsmart the system and users.
Basic security tips for users include;

– Avoiding sharing passwords with third parties
– Avoiding the usage of weak PINs
– Being vigilant not to fall prey to tricksters

For small and medium-scale enterprises in retail, healthcare, and hospitality among other sectors that look to take advantage of the new technology; the current Mobile Money infrastructure should give the confidence of effectively take charge of business finances in a more secure and convenient way.

In addressing the challenge of having to turn away customers who do not have cash to make payments, leading mobile technology company Hubtel, has introduced a fully integrated payment acceptance solution that enables companies receive payments from customers via Mobile Money and cards securely. While helping businesses make extra profit, it enables them to record and accurately track records of all financial transactions. It’s safer, much more convenient, and very secure.

Despite the ongoing efforts of the authorities to minimize the possible security lapses exploited by fraudsters, ultimately Mobile Money users are responsible for securing their end of the system by utilizing all the tools and information to secure their money.

Last month, a logo I designed 12 years ago was retired.

I made a better one, then joined the company I made it for. I was fascinated by one thing.

They wanted to offer customer service as software to spur entrepreneurship, drive development and raise service quality standards across Africa.

I couldn’t resist.

To have that size impact we would have to enable customer-facing businesses to scale their customer service delivery at very low cost while maintaining optimal control and in one of the toughest places in the world to do business. Either that’s noble genius or absurd ambition. Either way, I wanted in.

Even the smallest of businesses in advanced countries can and often do offer a high level of professional and endearing service. Across Africa, many small to mid-size businesses have yet to feel the urgency to improve the customer service they offer. Service is often not seen as mission-critical for fast growth.

I’m a big believer in companies with a massive transformative purpose, like a company that wants to organize the world’s information. (Google)

It took a while but we found a way to better explain our vision.

“We believe Africa will be a better place when businesses make their customers happy.”

A statement so simple and obvious you could easily overlook the innovation and scale it would take to begin to have any such impact.

Today’s technologies can enable the free exchange of information for almost frictionless decision-making.

So, why not a company that gives any size business in Africa direct access to its entire market and the best tools to serve every single customer equally well. That’s just about crazy enough to work.

David Coleman
David Coleman is Chief Marketing Officer at Hubtel. He loves to read, hang out with his sons, and swim a few laps every weekend.

On the 21st of December 2015, I got a notification on LinkedIn from one of the directors of a certain company. In his email he stated “We are one of Africa’s leading mobile value added services companies with operations in Ghana, Kenya, Cameroon, and Nigeria. We’re looking to expand our product offering to include some mobile applications. I’ve been looking at your profile and have realized that you would be a good fit for our team”.

I don’t remember exactly where I was or what I was doing when I got this message but boy, was I thrilled! Anyway, I went for what would be a life changing interview and I got in. What followed, is history.

Last month, this same company rebranded from SMSGH to Hubtel Limited with an audacious tagline – Rethink Customer Service – to help serve our customers better and deliver suitable tailor-fit solutions for all businesses.

In an ideal world, every business should know their customers enough to be able to deliver quality and convenience when it comes to service delivery. The interaction between businesses and customers should be seamless and pleasant.

The journey for most businesses is tough, and we at Hubtel understand this. We believe customers are the lifeline of every business and being able to harness that information is key to survival. Visit our website to get more information.

I’m grateful for the opportunity and privilege to work with such an amazing team of great minds.

We are here to stay, change lives and promote growth for businesses.

Benjamin J. T Sackey.
Benjamin is a Product Designer (UX) at Hubtel. Together with his team, they build payment solutions for businesses. He spends time honing his swimming skills or playing table tennis when he’s not behind his Mac.

A five-man delegation from the Ministry of Information led by Deputy Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah on Tuesday, June 6, 2017, paid a courtesy visit to the Hubtel Offices.

The visit was in part to congratulate Hubtel on its business growth and to officially commence engagement on ways to enhance efforts at growing more technology entrepreneurs.

Key among the discussions was how to drive national development by encouraging the use of engagement tools between public and government agencies and private institutions.

CEO of Hubtel, Alexander Adjei Bram later took the team on a tour of the office.

See highlights from the visit below:

Since our founding on the 12th of May 2005, our mission has been to make it easier for companies to connect with their customers.

Our work helps ease the customer service challenges businesses face. From delivering millions of business-critical mobile alerts to pioneering mobile banking & online payments, we have continuously sought out the most effective engagement channels and crafted solutions around the most important pain points within our environment.

Thanks to our customers, today we have grown beyond Ghana, set up in new markets, and continue to help businesses rethink customer service across the continent. Through it all, we have literally outgrown both the “SMS” and the “GH” in our name.

Today, we become Hubtel.

Hubtel is built on the singular belief that loyal customers build great businesses. We have come to believe in customer service that blends neatly into the busy lives of consumers.

With the help of our customers, we are on a mission to provide businesses with the tools to build lasting relationships with their customers.

Our new brand marks a new era in which we set higher standards and goals for the value we deliver to our customers as we continue to deepen our offering.

As Hubtel we have carefully reinvented our products into intuitive everyday services. Today we introduce our customers to our new Hubtel platform which hosts all our services, on one single integrated and user-friendly platform.

We wish to share this important day with all our users, and in doing so express our heartfelt gratitude for their patience during our transition to Hubtel, and for their support and loyalty throughout the years.

Hubtel has formally opened its new office in Nairobi, Kenya. The move is a commitment to Hubtel’s continued growth in East Africa to continuously improve its product offerings to businesses in Kenya and beyond.

After 3 years of operations in Nairobi, the office opening was yet another thing to be proud of for the company. Hubtel, which has been in operation for over 11 years, with 30 million customers across 4 African countries; Ghana, Kenya, and Cameroon, and Nigeria has seen immense growth and success since.

CEO of Hubtel, Alexander Adjei Bram said, “ It is a great time in Africa. We’ve never been more connected in our history, we’ve never been at a time where you had the freedom to do what our parents used to do. It is a good time for us to dream. For us at Hubtel, our dream is to ensure that businesses are given the simple tools they can have to make their customers happy; and we believe that Africa will be a better place when businesses make customers happy.”

The office was officially opened by its Chairman, Hans Nilsson, who in his address stated that “Hubtel uses mobile communication which one if not the best infrastructure across Africa, using that to drive and improve business processes is a big opportunity for us as a business but is a more important opportunity to businesses and customers to help drive their own businesses and using the power of it”. In attendance were several of Hubtel’s partners and customers, who were given a tour of the office

The expansion of Hubtel to Nairobi, Kenya will allow the company to better serve and more efficiently handle its East Africa operations as it continues to grow.

About Hubtel

Hubtel is a leading technology company, and provider of customer engagement solutions; such as messaging, payments, and loyalty for businesses across African countries. Founded in 2005, Hubtel has a presence in Ghana, Kenya, Cameroon, and Nigeria. Its clientele comprises of banks, insurance companies, large enterprises, manufacturers, government and utility providers, and many more.

Hubtel has announced the official opening of its office in Kenya on Tuesday 21st March 2017. By establishing a physical presence in Kenya, Hubtel is committed to enforcing its presence in East Africa.

The official opening is scheduled to take place in its ultra-modern offices on the 3rd Floor of Westcom Point Mahiga Mairu Avenue, Westlands, Nairobi.

The company which has been operating in Kenya for the past 3 years, has within this period, been preparing its systems and getting partners ready for its launch and promises to be Africa’s leading customer service provider for businesses.

Hubtel has been operating in Ghana for over 11 years and is well known for its messaging and payment solutions which have grown its customers to over 30 million across 4 African countries, notably, Ghana, Kenya, Cameroon, and Nigeria. Its clientele comprises of banks, insurance companies, large enterprises, manufacturers, government and utility providers, and many more.

Across Africa, businesses of all sizes still deliver nearly all customer services through manual processes and approaches. The manual nature of these tasks limits the number of customers that can be served at any given time without a significant decline in quality of service. Hubtel will help its clients to transform the way businesses connect, engage, and serve customers – saving the business time while boosting revenues.

SMS Global Holdings (SMSGH) has been named the recipient of the Young Enterprise Award for the first time at the Association of Ghana Industries’ 5th Ghana Industry Awards ceremony.

The company was awarded for our outstanding achievements and immense contribution to the development of Ghana’s economy. The business solutions giant was one of over twenty companies to be recognized at the prestigious event.

This year’s event had seven award categories and 21 sector awards. Some of the sector awards included Beverage, Automobile Sector Awards, Agribusiness, Electricals and Electronics, Oil and Gas, Pharmaceuticals, among others.

The glamorous event, held in Accra at the State House, was under the theme: “Growing Local Industry for Export Development and Job Creation”.

SMSGH has this year seen a complete revamp of its organizational and business processes since the completion of our US$1.25 million state-of-the-art offices.

With almost 40,000 corporate clients currently, which include small, medium and large enterprises, and a presence throughout Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and Cameroon, plus plans to expand across all of Africa in the very near future, winning this award acknowledges SMSGH’s commitment to building Africa’s most globally relevant business solution offering.

Large amounts of personal data generated in the country are stored across servers, networks, and several filing systems in different locations (electronically & manually), locally and abroad. The information systems used in the collection and storage of such personal data can pose considerable challenges to one’s right to privacy. As this trend continues to grow rapidly with increasingly sophisticated technology with extensive abilities to hold large amounts of data, it is necessary to address privacy concerns with data protection laws.

Personal data include all data on a given or identifiable individual that is disclosed to us or that is generated or collected by us, e.g. the inquiries from a call center, subscribing to and utilizing any of our services, and the contact data respectively provided by you in these cases i.e. particularly your name and your e-mail address.

SMSGH is pleased to announce that it has secured the Data Protection Certificate to support Mobile Money Integration with Telecommunication Service Providers in Ghana such as MTN, Airtel, Tigo etc. SMSGH values the importance of protecting your privacy when handling personal data. Personal data shall only be collected and utilized by us if this is permitted by a statutory provision or if we have received your prior consent.

The Data Protection certificate is awarded by the Data Protection Commission to registered organizations that process personal data.

About the Data Protection Commission

The Data Protection Commission (DPC) is an independent statutory body established under the Data Protection Act, 2012 (Act 843) to protect the privacy of individuals and personal data by regulating the processing of personal information. The Commission provides for the process to obtain, hold, use, or disclose personal information and for other related issues bordering on the protection of personal data.

The acknowledgment of the right to privacy with respect to the processing of personal data or information led to the passage of the Act.

SMSGH organized fun games for staff at the Lizzy Sports Complex on Friday 15^th July, 2016. The essence of the games was to provide a midyear corporate hangout – a short break from work to unwind, interact in a less formal way with colleagues, and foster team spirit. There was a football match between the technical and operations teams and other fun games.

It was all fun, healthy banter, and an extensive display of team spirit.

No more street hails or waiting outside to find a ride. Uber has launched in Accra, the 11th city in Sub-Saharan Africa and the 467th globally, in a move that marks its growing presence in Africa.

The service is set to provide unrivaled intra-city movement for the over 4 million people using the streets in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA). Uber’s service has already gained massive brand recognition around the world because of its ease of use and the convenience it provides in an increasingly mobile world.

Uber selected to use SMSGH USSD-based mPOS service to enable a mobile money payment that was seamless and easy to use for riders and driver-partners.  According to a recent Bank of Ghana report, mobile money transactions in Ghana have now reached GHs35 billion per quarter.

With the launch of the SMSGH mPOS, Uber riders can now conveniently pay for rides via mobile money. Drivers will simply dial a USSD code containing the driver’s four-digit business identification number (BIN) and the rider’s mobile number (e.g.*713*1234*0244000000#), select the mobile wallet provider and enter the amount to pay. A bill prompt is then issued to the rider to confirm the transaction and complete payment with a wallet PIN. Both driver-partner and rider will then receive an SMS text as confirmation of payment.

In an interview on the solution, a Senior Product Manager at SMSGH, Bubune Peter Adih commented that “….the simplicity of the mPOS application resonates with Uber’s approach to doing business. Being everyone’s private driver Uber strives to breakdown complex interactions into very simple processes and so SMSGH sought to ensure that this payment service works just as well and simple as Uber.“

Free Weekend

Uber is celebrating its launch in Accra by providing free rides. This means that from launch date (Thursday, June 9) until Sunday (June 12, at midnight), guests will be able to request an Uber ride at no charge. In order to activate this discount, a user will need to enter the promo code MoveGHANA on their Uber iOS/Android/Windows application. This will offer users 6 free rides within Accra, each up to GHS 20.

About Uber

UBER is a technology company that connects riders and drivers at the touch of a button.
Available in 467 cities across 72 countries, the UBER platform is evolving the way the world moves. UBER’s mission is to change the way citizens of the world move, work and live. It aspires to transform the way people connect with their communities and to bring reliability, convenience and opportunity to transport systems.