Ghana turns national ID into payment tool

2 April 2026

On Techpoint Digest, we discuss how Ghana Card now works for payments, how Nigerian fintechs have joined the CBN's anti-money laundering initiative, and how SARS plans to give every taxpayer a digital ID.

Ghana turns national ID into payment tool

Konnichiwa,

Victoria from Techpoint here,

Here’s what I’ve got for you today:

Ghana Card now works for payments

Nigerian fintechs join CBN AML initiative

SARS to give every taxpayer a digital ID

Ghana Card now works for payments

Image source: African Diaspora Group

Ghana is turning its national ID into something much bigger than identification. The Ghana Card can now be used to make payments online, in stores, at ATMs, and even across over 200 countries, marking a major shift in how financial services could work in the country.

Here’s what’s happening: the country’s National Identification Authority has embedded a digital wallet directly into the Ghana Card. That means instead of relying on bank cards or mobile money apps alone, users can activate payments through the card itself using the MyCitizens mobile app or by dialling the USSD code *402#. The system is designed to work across banks, not tied to any single provider.

What this means is a rethink of financial access. Ghana has long struggled with low credit card usage, projected at just 0.6%, so embedding payments into a national ID could bring more people into the financial system without needing traditional banking tools. It’s also part of a broader vision: identity, travel, and now payments, all rolled into one system.

With the ID and e-passport functions already in place, the newly launched e-wallet aims to make financial services more accessible by removing common barriers. This didn’t happen overnight. The Bank of Ghana has been pushing for years to make the Ghana Card central to financial transactions. Since 2022, it has required the card as the primary ID for banking and regulated financial services, linking every transaction to a single verified identity to improve traceability and reduce fraud.

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