Ghana’s National Identification Authority (NIA) has launched a digital wallet feature on the Ghana Card, expanding the national ID into a payments tool aimed at widening access to financial services.
“What this mean is that you can put moneny on your Ghana card and use it for any transaction, whether is paying for goods or services,” Yayra Korku Deku, Executive Secretary of the NIA said in September 2025 when the initiative was first announed.
The feature can be activated by existing Ghana Card holders through the MyCitizens App or by dialling *402#, according to the authority.
The rollout signals Ghana’s push to merge identity and finance into one system, potentially reshaping how millions access and interact with financial services in a country where traditional banking tools remain limited.
“We believe this would generate significant revenue for the authority and strenghten our operations,” he added.
The Problem
Across Africa, access to formal financial services remains uneven, with millions of people either unbanked or underbanked. In Ghana, this challenge is reflected in the country’s number of unbanked population, pegged at 38 percent according to a 2024 report by Fidelity Bank Ghana. Additionally, the West Africa country has an extremely low credit card penetration rate, forecast at just 0.6% in 2024 and expected to decline further in the coming years.
Barriers such as strict documentation requirements, limited banking infrastructure, and high service costs have made it difficult for many citizens to participate in the formal financial system. While mobile money has improved access, gaps still exist in interoperability, global payments, and integration with formal banking services.
Additionally, reliance on international payment infrastructure like Visa and Mastercard introduces costs and dependencies that can limit innovation and accessibility in local markets.
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The Solution
The NIA’s embedded wallet seeks to address these gaps by transforming the Ghana Card into a multi-functional financial tool. With the new feature, users can withdraw cash from ATMs, make payments in-store and online, and conduct international transactions across more than 200 countries.
Unlike traditional banking systems, the wallet is designed as a unified platform that integrates multiple banks rather than being controlled by a single institution. This approach could simplify access while promoting interoperability across the financial ecosystem.
The e-wallet also builds on the Ghana Card’s broader “triple-purpose” vision—serving as an identity document, a passport, and now a payments solution. The e-ID is already widely used, while the e-passport functionality, activated in 2022, allows the card to function as a travel document in 197 countries.
Beyond payments, the NIA has also explored using the platform for broader economic activities, including gold trading through a potential partnership with the Ghana Gold Board, hinting at future use cases such as tokenised transactions.
“The idea is to make Ghana Card a gateway for safe and legal transactions, including gold trading, by adopting it as a medium for tokenised transaction,” Deku said.
Why it matters
If widely adopted, the Ghana Card wallet could significantly expand financial inclusion by lowering the barriers to accessing banking and payment services. For millions of Ghanaians, a single government-issued ID could become a gateway to the formal economy.
This shift could stimulate economic activity by enabling more people to save, transact, and participate in digital commerce. It may also create new opportunities for fintech innovation, jobs in digital financial services, and increased efficiency in public and private sector transactions.
More broadly, Ghana’s model could offer a blueprint for other African countries seeking to unify identity and finance. If successful, it may reduce reliance on global card networks and accelerate the development of homegrown, identity-based payment systems across the continent.
