Telecel Ghana has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening its partnership with the Mobile Money Advocacy Group Ghana (MoMAG) to improve the capacity, security and profitability of mobile money agents across the country.
The company’s Sales and Distribution Director, Samuel Sarpong, said agents remain a critical part of Telecel’s mobile money ecosystem, serving as the last-mile link between the company and millions of customers.
He made the remarks in an interview with the media on the sidelines of the maiden MoMAG/Telecel Capacity Building Forum, which sought to equip agents with the skills and knowledge needed to operate safely, professionally and profitably.
Mr Sarpong said the partnership was aimed at strengthening agents’ capabilities while creating a platform for Telecel to receive feedback and deepen engagement with its agent network.
“For any telecom or any company growing their telecom or cash business, the agent network becomes a very important aspect of the journey and the ecosystem,” he said.
He noted that agents provide direct customer service and manage liquidity, or “float”, within the mobile money ecosystem, making their performance crucial to customer satisfaction and business growth.
Mr Sarpong said Telecel had invested in technology to protect customers and agents against cybercrime and fraud, including the deployment of facial recognition technology to strengthen customer authentication.
He explained that the technology is designed to prevent unauthorised persons from accessing accounts and defrauding customers.
However, he stressed that technology alone could not eliminate emerging threats, making continuous training and vigilance among agents equally important.
He said agents must be equipped to identify suspicious activities and respond appropriately to protect customers and the integrity of the mobile money ecosystem.
Mr Sarpong disclosed that Telecel maintains regular engagement with security agencies as part of efforts to combat fraud and other criminal activities targeting mobile money customers and agents.
“We collaborate with all the security agents on a day-to-day basis. We work with them so that we can protect this ecosystem,” he said.
He explained that effective intelligence sharing and coordinated action were essential to addressing increasingly sophisticated forms of cybercrime and financial fraud.
The Telecel executive said the company was also focused on strengthening its agent network outside Accra to ensure customers across the country have convenient access to mobile money services.
He said the participation of agents from different parts of the country in the capacity-building programme reflected Telecel’s commitment to improving its relationship with agents nationwide.
According to him, the agent network outside Accra has recorded significant improvements over the years, with agents continuing to play an important role in serving Telecel customers in communities across the country.
He said Telecel would continue to work with agents to expand service delivery and improve the customer experience.
Mr Sarpong also encouraged agents to increase their transaction volumes as a way of improving their earnings.
He explained that higher transaction activity could translate into increased commissions for agents.
“It is a simple act of ensuring the agents serve more customers. So as they serve more customers, we then also increase the commission that they earn,” he said.
Using an example, he indicated that an agent currently earning about GH¢1,000 in commission could increase earnings by serving more customers and growing transaction volumes.
He encouraged agents to see business growth as an opportunity to improve their income while contributing to the expansion of Telecel’s mobile money operations.
Mr Sarpong said Telecel would continue to engage agents, gather their feedback and provide capacity-building support as the mobile money industry evolves.
He stressed that agents must continuously adapt to changing customer expectations, new technologies and emerging security threats.
He said the partnership with MoMAG was ultimately aimed at building a stronger, better-trained and more secure agent network capable of delivering quality services across Ghana.
Mr Sarpong reaffirmed Telecel’s commitment to working with MoMAG, agents and security agencies to promote a safer, more efficient and customer-focused mobile money ecosystem nationwide.
By 1960news.com
