Has Ghana Replaced Visa And Mastercard With Its Own Payment System?
On April 1, 2026 an X user, @GBX_Press claimed that Ghana had stopped using Visa and Mastercard payment infrastructure, switching entirely to its own infrastructure which has been integrated into the country’s national identity card. The post had image of Ghana president holding a card alleged to be Ghana ID and payment card, with the caption 🚨 BREAKING Ghana has decided to stop using U.S.-based payment giants Visa and Mastercard. The country has switched to its own infrastructure by integrating the payment system into its national identity cards
When this report was published, this claim had about 721,500 views and over 3,760 replies, reposts, quotes, likes, and bookmarks. In the comment @ChijiokeBr24 wrote “Nigeria hasn’t realized that the whole world has left them behind.”
VERIFICATION
According to a report from Ghanaonline in September 2025, the National Identification Authority, NIA announced that it will soon activate the electronic wallet (e-wallet) feature of the Ghana Card, enabling cardholders to make payments, transfer money, and carry out other financial transactions directly with their national ID.
According to recent reports this feature was activated on April 2, 2026. The NIA, a statutory body mandated to establish a national identification system, announced the addition of a digital wallet to the Ghana Card, the identification card used for services like SIM registration and passport applications.
There is no specific year stating when Mastercard and Visa was launched in Ghana, however the use of these cards dates back to the early 2000’s by different banks. And has expanded operations in West Africa and Ghana, with more offices opened across the country.
While there are reports of integration of digital wallet to Ghana Identification Card, there is no policy on abolishment of the use of Mastercard or Visa in Ghana. No official statement from Bank of Ghana, the Ghanaian government, Mastercard or Visa.
CONCLUSION
The claim that Ghana has decided to stop using Visa and Mastercard and has switched entirely to its own infrastructure is FALSE. Ghana has indeed launched an e-wallet embedded in its national identity card, making it the first African country to integrate payment functionality directly.
