Mr Archie Hesse, Chief Executive of Ghana Interbank Payment and Settlement Systems (GhIPSS), has encouraged the public to heavily turn to electronic payment channels and avoid commuting through heavy traffic during the yuletide.

He said traffic had begun mounting in major cities and towns, as people shop for the yuletide, a situation, which makes commuting through town very frustrating and time wasting.

A statement signed by the Chief Executive of GhIPSS, and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra, said such movements can be avoided if people used electronic options for their financial transactions.

He said since 2007 when GhIPSS was established, various electronic payment channels have been developed that enable the banking public to undertake financial transactions from the comfort of their homes and offices, using their phones, computers and bank cards.

Mr Hesse said there was no point moving from one point of town to another to perform a banking transaction.

He encouraged the public to find out from their respective banks, how they can access the various electronic payment channels, which he explained are very easy to use.

“The workload for many at this time of the year is a lot, and so there is no point taking time off to step out to make payment, when you can just do that on your phone or PC”, he added.

He explained that as a result of interoperability of the various payment platforms, people can now use their phones to move money from their bank account to their mobile money wallet.

“They also have the option to use their phones to move money from their bank account to the account of another person. The public can move money from their e-zwich card to their mobile money wallet and vice versa, explaining that this implies that no one really needs to go to a banking hall or even an ATM in order to pay another person”.

The Chief Executive Officer stated that, corporate organisations had several electronic payment channels and do not need to always issue cheques to effect or receive payment.

He mentioned the Automated Clearing House Direct Credit and Direct Debit as options available to them, and that in cases of urgency, they can turn to the express option or use the GhIPSS Instant Pay, which are services most of the banks offer.

He said the major utility service providers currently accept mobile money and other electronic forms of payment, urging the public to take advantage of this and pay their bills electronically instead of going all the way to their offices to queue up just to pay bills.

“Nobody needs to go to ECG or Ghana Water Company to pay bills, just pay from your phone and save yourself all the troubles”, he stressed.

Mr. Hesse said as the traffic situation gets worse; it would be inefficient use of time and resources for companies or individuals to be moving through town to make payments when such payments can be made electronically.

He said GhIPSS would intensify its education on electronic payments, during the yuletide so that the public would focus on the more convenient and efficient form of payments.