Ghana's Economy
Mobile Money and the E-Levy
How mobile money spread rapidly in Ghana, the 2022 e-levy tax on electronic transfers, and why it was unpopular and later scrapped.
Mobile money is widespread in Ghana.
Growth
MTN MoMo and others let people send and receive money by phone.
Interoperability
Ghana linked mobile money with bank accounts early, in 2018.
E-levy
In 2022, the government introduced an e-levy on electronic transfers to raise revenue, initially at 1.5%.
Reaction
- The tax was unpopular.
- Transfers fell as people used cash again.
Scrapped
The new government abolished the e-levy in 2025.
Lesson
Taxing digital payments can push people back to cash.
The cash return
A trader switches back to cash to avoid the e-levy on mobile money payments.
Thinking taxes on digital transfers raise easy revenue
They can reduce digital use.
Key takeaways
- Mobile money is widespread in Ghana.
- It linked with banks in 2018.
- The 2022 e-levy was unpopular.
- It was scrapped in 2025.
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