Telecel Ghana targets 20,000 merchants with new e-commerce platform, launches e-wallet

Telecel Ghana is targeting 20,000 local merchants by the end of 2026 as it expands its digital commerce operations with the launch of a new e-commerce platform and a network-agnostic e-wallet. The two products, introduced by Telecel Cash, are aimed at expanding digital financial services, improving market access for small businesses and strengthening the company’s presence in Ghana’s digital economy.

Speaking at the launch, Managing Director of Telecel Cash, Philip Amoateng, said the e-wallet would allow customers across different mobile networks to access financial services without being restricted to Telecel’s network. “Basically, it’s an agnostic wallet. It’s a wallet that allows anybody, irrespective of your network, for you to be able to join.

Once you download the app and you sign up with your necessary details from any other network, you would have that wallet, and you can do all kinds of transactions that any person on the Telecel network can do,” he said. The platform will support money transfers, cash withdrawals, merchant payments and international remittances. Beyond payments, Telecel is introducing a marketplace designed to digitise small businesses and connect them to consumers through online product discovery, ordering and payments.

“The intention is, we’re trying to digitise all the mom and pop shops that you see on the corner, for discovery and fulfillment,” Mr Amoateng said. He explained that customers would be able to locate nearby shops, browse available products and either arrange delivery or visit the shops to make purchases. “In the long run, what we want to do is, instead of people just calling you, ‘Hey, come and look at this thing’, you can actually go on the app, see the things around you, and make an order, or go there and pay for it,” he added.

Telecel says close to 1,000 merchants have already signed up, with plans to increase the number to 20,000 by the end of the year and two million next year. The international marketplace will also allow Ghanaian consumers to purchase products from China through a partnership with Chinese e-commerce platform JD. According to Mr Amoateng, more than 250,000 products are available on the platform, with deliveries expected within seven to 15 days and tracking facilities provided throughout the process.

“So you can make an order, buy things from that place, and between seven to 15 days, it will be delivered to you through the speed app platform,” he said. To support the initiative, Telecel is working with South African technology company Flat, which provides merchant management solutions, and Danish firm Trade Enablers, which helped facilitate the partnership with JD.

The company is also providing merchants with an application to manage inventory and monitor sales. Mr Amoateng said the broader objective was to make digital transactions and commerce more accessible to consumers and businesses. “The idea is to make life easier for our customers. That is the purpose of digital economy. Life must be easier for consumers and merchants alike,” he said.

The success of the initiative will depend on Telecel’s ability to attract merchants, drive customer adoption and translate the ambitious growth targets into sustained commercial activity.