Accra, Sept. 21, GNA - The Ghana Interbank Payment and Settlement Systems (GhIPSS) has opened five satellite offices across the country to ensure that e-zwich services are running effectively throughout the country= .. The offices located in Accra, Takoradi, Kumasi, Sunyani, and Tamale, will carry out regular monitoring and support e-zwich services in the various outlets.

This was contained in a statement issued by the Management of GhIPSS copied to Ghana News Agency in Accra on Wednesday. The statement said the Accra office would have additional responsibility over the Central, Eastern and Southern parts of the Volta Region while that of Kumasi would be responsible for the entire Ashanti Region and the Takoradi office to have responsibility over the entire Western Region.

It said the Sunyani office would however have responsibility over the Brong Ahafo and Upper West Regions while the satellite office in Tamale would be responsible for the Northern, Upper East and the Northern Sector o= f the Volta region.

Mr Archie Hesse, General Manager in-charge of Project and Business Development at GhIPSS said 93With this arrangement, we cover the entire country," adding the satellite offices had been tasked to regularly visit all the financial institutions, as well as merchants under their areas of operation.

He said the offices would ensure that the financial institutions and shops that operated e-zwich Point of Sales devices were providing the services at all times and would be readily available anytime there was any issue to be addressed.

Mr Hesse said the satellite offices would also support the financial institutions to register customers who wanted the biometric card as well as scout for new shops to offer the e-zwich range of services. He said currently various e-zwich initiatives were being implemented including the Senior High School project, the various farmers' e-zwich programmes as well as microfinance e-zwich initiatives at the urban and peri-urban areas in the various regions, adding the satellite teams would also be monitoring and supporting these initiatives.

Mr Hesse said other activities that would be undertaken by the satellite offices include regular education for the various stakeholders, adding 93These are administrative strategies that are adopted as we enter into various phases of the e-zwich project to further improve on the provision of the e-zwich range of services".

He noted that as more people particularly outside Accra patronised the biometric smart card, it had become necessary to deploy staff in the region= s to provide regular support to financial institutions, agri-businesses, schools and shops offering the service. Mr Hesse encouraged the various institutions to work hand-in-hand with the satellite stations to ensure that their e-zwich customers were served well at all times.