Categories: News

PayPal in Ghana: An open letter to Vice President Bawumia

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The unavailability of PayPal in Ghana is a thorn in the flesh for many of us in the freelance sector. It sometimes pretends not to be there, only to inflict discomfort just when we think everything is good.

If you accept monetary payments from clients in other countries, you’ll agree with me that Ghana’s non-recognition by PayPal puts your business at risk. Your properly earned cash can be frozen at any time and for an extended period of time due to anomalies with your PayPal account — which was obtained illegally because a Ghanaian resident in Ghana has no business with the payment processing platform, PayPal.

This is why I feel compelled to shout at our nation’s Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, to make acquiring Paypal in Ghana a top priority in his attempts to change Ghana’s digital landscape during his stint as Veep.

To that end, I’m sending him this open letter because, like many others, I’ve had bad experiences with PayPal that could have been avoided if I could sit at my desk in Ghana and legitimately register a business account without fear of repercussions — because everything about the account’s registration would be legitimate by PayPal’s standards.

If you know Vice President Bawumia, please share this to him since we Ghanaian entrepreneurs and freelancers have suffered and continue to suffer because we can’t get PayPal in Ghana legally. Let’s get started.

DEAR SIR,

Your efforts to change Ghana’s digital landscape are admirable. It has not gone unnoticed how important you were in making mobile money interoperability a reality. We recognize the value of digital addresses, removing redundancy and time-consuming processes by substituting the TIN with the applicant’s Ghana Card number, and a few other excellent developments. We appreciate it.

However, while those are clearly noteworthy accomplishments, they are insufficient. Much is expected of those who are given much. I’ll go on to say, in my own words, that every guy who has demonstrated that possibilities exist — no matter how extreme or abstract they may appear at the time — has a lot of pressure on him to lead the path ahead.

WHY AM I TYPING THIS?

Because, Dr. Bawumia, your people are impersonating citizens of other nations in order to obtain something as fundamental as a PayPal account to conduct business. Isn’t that a pity? Consider this scenario: your children impersonating the children of some of your ministers in order to gain entry to a simple but elite restaurant. This isn’t kosher. To your person and reputation, this is not halal.

Some of us are from Lesotho at the moment. Others are from the United Arab Emirates and the United States. Some even come from Nigeria and Togo. All of this is due to the fact that there is no legal means to access PayPal in Ghana, therefore we must invent… and compromise. Please treat this scenario as haram and act diligently to rectify the error.

Closing argument

I understand you may run in the next presidential election, which is scheduled for 2024. I wish you the best of luck in your work. You’ll agree with me that the small things are what is actually important to us Ghanaians — the small things that make our daily grind worthwhile.

That is why I believe that doing your best to introduce PayPal to Ghana would be a feather in your head and, in the end, help you achieve your presidential ambitions. Sir, do what needs to be done; we’re counting on you.

Thank you, Mr. Vice President.