Author: Hubtel

Latest Updates on Your Messaging Account…

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Ghana’s leading indigenous technology company, Hubtel has completed an interior design makeover of its head offices in Kokomlemle, Accra.

In a tweet to announce the completion and re-opening, the company proudly announced that “We’ve completed a makeover of our Accra offices. A creative work environment always inspires great user care experiences”.

In addition to the most modern and appealing looks, the improvement to its working spaces has also enabled the company to meet several regulatory and international certification requirements as a Payment Services Provider.

As part of the facelift, several improvements have been made to the floor plans, making room for workspaces such as offices for operations staff, staff lounge, conference rooms, collaboration rooms, a media room, a games room, a gym, kitchenettes and a cafeteria with a bar.

In an internal communication to staff, the company’s Facility Manager, Mr. Henry Armah, stated that it is the aim of the management of the company to ensure a serene, functional, and practical space for all teams, saying “… the core of our business operations revolves around creativity and innovation that benefits customers, so the improved working environment provides us all with the peace of mind and creative flexibility we need to perform more efficiently and productively.”

In an interview, Mr. Armah also said that, “the recent pandemic has altered our way of work in so many ways. The positive fallout of this is that our facilities have had to be able to support work from home as well as work from the office. We believe this makeover gives us a working space that is fit for both.” 

He continued that, “for starters our new spaces support hot-desking very well, and operates as a mini tech campus – very similar to what you will find in the developed markets such as Silicon Valley, etc. The office is also acoustically improved to handle noise and echo-cancellation, so that staff working via video calls are able to have a better sound quality experience.” 

With the photos and videos shared, Hubtel offices have become arguably the largest and most functional office spaces among all the local technology start-ups operating in Ghana.

Kokomlemle, Accra. January 27, 2022 –– Jonathan Ansah has joined Hubtel as the company’s new Chief Financial Officer.

Jonathan has 20 years of experience spanning five industries, with a proven track record of delivering profitable growth for businesses. His previous roles demonstrate his expertise in business restructuring, financial engineering, and operational efficiencies.

He is a certified Chartered Accountant with extensive auditing experience. He has worked with the global auditing firm Deloitte––Ghana and served as Audit Director at the National Lottery Authority. His seven-year tenure as Finance Director at Cadbury Ghana is highlighted by his leadership of the financial and business strategic planning process, which resulted in the company turning around in two years with positive cashflows and shareholder investment.

Before joining Hubtel, he served as the Chief Commercial Officer of the Ghana Post Company Limited, leading the organization to create its first commercial division since its inception. During this period, he also led the development of e-Commerce, e-Services, and Financial Services expansion strategies, resulting in $5 million in World Bank support. Two banks joined forces under his leadership to form the Post Bank (Agency Banking).

As CFO, Jonathan will lead Hubtel’s finance strategy and be responsible for the accounting, treasury, financial planning and analysis, tax, in business plans, strategies, capitalisation and investor relations of the company.

Jonathan holds a Master of Business Administration degree in Finance from the prestigious University of Ghana Business School, with an ACCA professional certification from the Emile Woolf College in London, United Kingdom.

He is passionate about driving business performance, including transformation, revenue. optimization, efficient business processes, internal controls to ensure business growth and continuity.

Kokomlemle, Accra, Ghana. Thursday, 20th January 2022: Board of Directors and management staff of Hubtel undertook anti-money laundering compliance training in accordance with its regulatory obligations under the Anti-Money Laundering Act, 2020 (Act 1044).   

In addition to meeting the company’s regulatory obligations, the training was also crucial to raise awareness of the negative impact of money laundering and terrorist financing on society, the economy, the organization, our customers, and employees.

Hubtel recognizes the risk that financial companies are exposed to, such as terrorist financing. The Anti-Money Laundering procedures will provide a guide to protect the vulnerability of our industry by facilitating accurate and reliable KYC. We believe that investing in such compliance is a good investment in our customers’ trust and loyalty, which are values that we cherish.

The e-Crime Bureau and officers of the Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) led the team through a three-part session to cover various important topics. e-Crime Bureau is a cybersecurity and investigations firm that has provided unparalleled cyber security, digital forensics training, capacity building, and other investigation-related consultancy services to organizations in various sectors since 2011.

Some of the areas highlighted include:  

• Overview of Anti-Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing  
• Situational Analysis of Money Laundering – Ghana in Perspective  
• Money laundering risks associated with fintech  
• Know Your Customer Procedures & Best Practices  
• Customer Due Diligence (CDD) and Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD)  
• Risked-based approach to Anti-Money Laundering / CFT for Fintech  
• Transaction Monitoring in Fintech 
• AML / CFT in Ghana –– Legal & Regulatory Framework  
• Sanctions for AML Compliance Breaches  
• Anti-Money Laundering Reporting (Suspicious Transactions Report [STRs] 
• AML Data Solutions for Fintech 

On behalf of the board of directors and management staff, Cornelis Rouloph Otoo, Head of Legal and Corporate Affairs, pledged the company’s continued commitment to staying compliant and continually engaging regulatory agencies to safeguard the security of the company, its customers, and the economy at large. 

With an increasing number of financial terrorism cases in our society, financial institutions must be well-equipped with the necessary resources to mitigate the economic impact.

We are increasingly looking for long-term relationships with compliance institutions and professionals so that our team can provide solutions to any new and unexpected demand for checks or related services. 

CEO of Hubtel, Alex Bram has won the award for Tech and Innovation in the year 2021 at the maiden Ghanaweb Excellence Awards. 

Alex beat four very tough competitors in that category to emerge the winner of this well-deserved award. The four were no less a person than Ghana’s digital economy champion, Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, Zeepay CEO, Andrew Takyi Appiah, Co-Founder of Softribe, Herman Chinery Hesse, and Executive Director of Temple, Kodjo Hesse.

There were seventeen categories of awards, and each category had five very worthy nominees, making a win really tough. Alex is therefore one of the very deserving 17 persons rewarded on the night.

Alex Bram

Alex Bram, co-founded Hubtel on 12th May, 2005 – the very last school day at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (Kumasi), where he graduated with a BSc, in Chemistry.

He leads the overall development and execution of Hubtel’s long-term strategy, drives the company’s vision, implements the processes, and creates the order that enables Hubtel teams to bring their best features to life.

Alex Bram is a deliberate and methodical, action-oriented leader with fierce resolve. He is a graduate of the Stanford Graduate School of Business (Executive Education).

FIN Awards

Recently, he was adjudged eCommerce Personality of the Year at the maiden FIN Awards as part of the first-ever African Cashless Payments Systems Conference in Accra.

On that occasion, Hubtel, which is Ghana’s leading messaging, payments, and  eCommerce provider, also picked up the Digital Company of the Year award.

Hubtel, under the leadership of Alex Bram, won that award for its continuous contribution to the country’s digitalization, and particularly for its key role in the design and deployment of the Ghana.gov platform, together with two other local Fintechs, IT Consortium, and ExpressPay.

Indeed the Ghana.gov platform, which has, as of mid-November, raised over GHS35 billion for the government, was also adjudged The Cashless Policy of the Year on the night.

The company was also the first private sector firm to start the process of democratizing Ghana’s GHQR by starting a platform called myghqr.com, which allows both bank app and mobile money wallet users to sign on to the GHQR platform and make and accept payments via the same.

Hubtel has positioned itself as a very useful companion for mobile users, just as it has done with its transformational work in pioneering mobile airtime content services, fintech, and bulk SMS messaging.

It has been a digital finance, eCommerce, and bulk messaging champion operating mainly in Accra, Tema, and Kumasi in the Ashanti Region, and has just started services at Sekondi-Takoradi in the Western Region.

When Covid-19 hit Ghana last year, Hubtel stepped up to the plate and boosted its eCommerce offering, which provided a very convenient avenue for customers to shop for food and other items online from the comfort of their homes and offices at affordable rates.

Hubtel also reduced its transaction fees on the Hubtel e-wallet to the barest minimum, making it even more affordable for customers to transact with their wallets.

Hubtel is Ghana’s first tech company to become a member of the globally acclaimed Pledge 1% in 2017.

Ghana’s leading messaging, payments, and  eCommerce provider, Hubtel, has extended its operations to the residents of the twin cities of Takoradi and Sekondi.

This follows the company’s successful launch in the Ashanti Regional capital of Kumasi in June 2021, and brings the number of cities it operates in to 4; Accra, Tema, Kumasi, and now Takoradi.

In an interview, Hubtel’s Head of Commercial and New Markets, Eric Akoto, revealed that “Sekondi-Takoradi was a very obvious choice for us. The city here has been growing very well in the past years. The city has a good vibe with a growing urban population and an increasing number of retail businesses.”

Hubtel operates with the approval and regulatory supervision of the Bank of Ghana as an Enhanced Payment Service Provider and was recommended for a national award for its role in the digitization of Government of Ghana payment services through the Ghana.GOV payment platform.  Hubtel’s mobile app has become a very useful companion for mobile users, helping residents in its operating cities find and buy essential items and services from nearby retailers and providers.

The Hubtel app will allow users in Takoradi and Sekondi to order food online from restaurants and local eateries, track delivery, and receive real-time notifications from the time an order is prepared, picked up, and delivered to the customer’s door. The Hubtel app also has features for users to instantly top up internet data, buy airtime, send money to all bank accounts, and pay for services with any mobile money or bank card.

“We have all become used to walking into stores to pick up everyday things that we need. That same experience is now available on our phones. So we can stay at home, connect to any store or restaurant within our city, order anything on our phones, and receive it within a short time. Hubtel’s app and website is freeing us up to be more productive on other activities.” Eric observed.

He further added that “…as a regulated payment service provider, Hubtel operates a 100% money-back guarantee on all purchases should anything go wrong. Our commitment to customer satisfaction is a foundational part of our service. If you buy anything on Hubtel and are unsatisfied with our service, we give you all your money back without any questions.”

On his part, the CEO of Hubtel,  Alex Bram also urged retailers to boldly embrace the changing shopping landscape by getting their inventory onto Hubtel. “If you run any retail business such as a supermarket, restaurant, or operate a service, your customers are becoming more and more digital, so it’s time to fit  your store into that new lifestyle that is developing so fast.”   

As a welcome bonus, first shoppers will be enjoying up to 50% discount on food and selected items from Takoradi’s favorite restaurants and shops. Residents of Takoradi and Sekondi will enjoy lower and faster deliveries on all orders, along with exciting giveaways on cash and free delivery coupons.

The Hubtel mobile app is available on all Android, iOS, and Huawei phones via their respective app stores. You can also visit www.hubtel.com or access it via the new Marketplace feature on the GhanaPost GPS mobile app.  

Ghana’s leading messaging, payments, and  eCommerce provider, Hubtel, has picked up two top industry awards at the maiden Foreign Investment Network (FIN) Cashless Awards in Accra. 

Hubtel was adjudged the Digital Company of the Year, and the CEO of the company, Alex Bram also walked away with the eCommerce Personality of the Year award.

In all, there were 46 awards won by more than 30 individuals and organizations mainly in the areas of digital technology, cashless payments, IT, regulation, and business leadership in general.

The awards formed part of the maiden Africa Cashless Payment Systems (ACPS) Conference, which saw industry players from various parts of the continent discussing how Africa can bridge borders via digitalization and facilitate intra-continental trade within the context of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Hubtel was adjudged digital company of the year for its continuous contribution to the country’s digitalization, and particularly for its key role in the design and deployment of the Ghana.gov platform, together with two other local Fintechs; IT Consortium and ExpressPay.

Indeed the Ghana.gov platform, which has, as of mid-November, raised over GHS35 billion for the government, was also adjudged The Cashless Policy of the Year on the night.

Hubtel has positioned itself as a very useful companion for mobile users, just as it has done with its transformational work in pioneering mobile airtime content services, fintech, and bulk SMS messaging.

It has been a digital finance, eCommerce, and bulk messaging champion operating mainly in Accra, Tema, and Kumasi in the Ashanti Region, and has just started services at Sekondi-Takoradi in the Western Region.

When Covid-19 hit Ghana last year, Hubtel stepped up to the plate and boosted its eCommerce offering, which provided a very convenient avenue for customers to shop for food and other items online from the comfort of their homes and offices at affordable rates.

Hubtel also reduced its transaction fees on the Hubtel e-wallet to the barest minimum, making it even more affordable for customers to transact with their wallets.

Hubtel is Ghana’s first tech company to become a member of the globally acclaimed Pledge 1% in 2017.

Alex Bram

The CEO of the company, Alex Bram, co-founded Hubtel on 12th May 2005 – the very last school day at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (Kumasi), where he graduated with a BSc, in Chemistry.

He leads the overall development and execution of Hubtel’s long-term strategy, drives the company’s vision, implements the processes, and creates the order that enables Hubtel teams to bring their best features to life.

Alex Bram is a deliberate and methodical, action-oriented leader with fierce resolve. He is a graduate of the Stanford Graduate School of Business (Executive Education).

Source

ACCRA, GHANA – October 10, 2021 – Cornelis Rouloph Otoo has joined Hubtel as Head, Legal and Corporate Affairs.  

Cornelis is an experienced legal practitioner who has built his knowledge through active practice across varied sectors and industries in Ghana including Banking & Finance, Securities, Real Estate, Mining and IT and Telecommunications.   

Recruited by Oxford & Beaumont Solicitors immediately after Law School, he nurtured his expertise in corporate and commercial matters, commercial transactions, and regulatory affairs. After rising to senior associate at the firm, and eager to fuel a continuous curiosity about the intersection of law and technology, he took on a Legal Manager role in the Ghanaian office of international Telecommunications giant, Airtel. Here, he was primarily responsible for the commercial portfolio of the company.  

While at Airtel, Cornelis was awarded the prestigious Chevening Scholarship to pursue a Master’s Degree at the Queen Mary University of London. After his degree, he joined Ashong Benjamin and Associates where he was part of a team that provided legal support and advice within the banking sector which at the time was undergoing considerable reform. Cornelis has also served as an adjunct lecturer at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) where he taught Intellectual Property.

Having provided legal advisory services as a private practitioner and in-house counsel, Cornelis is uniquely positioned to provide comprehensive advice, with diverse perspectives.   

Cornelis has a keen interest in the growth and development of financial technology and technological solutions in general.  Cornelis also serves as the Vice Chairman of the Player Status Committee of the Ghana Football Association.  

Ghana’s fast pacing eCommerce, SMS messaging and leading enhanced payments service provider, Hubtel, has donated ten (10) HP laptops to the Right to Information (RTI) Commission as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility.

Speaking during the donation on Tuesday, August 17, 2021, at the new Right to Information (RTI) Commission office in Dzorwulu on the Osu Badu Link, Hubtel’s General Manager, Ernest Kwesi Apenteng, said the gesture would go a long way to deepen the country’s democracy.

“We are more than happy to be part of the birth and foundation of this commission,” Ernest added.

Justice K.A. Ofori-Atta, the chairman of the RTI Commission’s seven-member governing board thanked the management of Hubtel for the donation, saying: “We express our deepest appreciation and gratitude…for this invaluable donation. It has come at an appropriate time. It couldn’t have been a better time. We needed them.“

Justice Ofori-Atta assured that the laptops would be put to good use in achieving the commission’s mandate of promoting, monitoring, protecting, and enforcing the right to information and access to information in this country.

The Executive Secretary of the commission, Yaw Sarpong Boateng, a distinguished lawyer, called on other organizations to emulate Hubtel’s gesture.

The RTI Bill was passed on March 26, 2019, by Parliament and the President subsequently assented it into law on Tuesday, May 21, 2019.

Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta has recommended national awards for three Ghanaian Fintechs, Hubtel, Expresspay and IT Consortium for designing and managing the Ghana.GOV platform to stop revenue leakage in state institutions.

He was speaking at the launch of the platform at the Jubilee House in Accra.

Ken Ofori-Atta, who described himself as the happiest man in the room during the launch, said “if I had any power I am sure the Order of the Volta will be conferred on each of them.”

Ghana.GOV is a single point online channel through which the public can access all government services at the various MMDAs and make payments digitally without any human intervention.

The platform can be accessed on laptops, smartphones/tablets, desktop computers and via short code *222# on feature phones.

It was designed by Hubtel, Expresspay and IT Consortium and it has so far proven to be the most efficient service delivery and revenue collection platform the state has ever built, given the several challenges with previous interventions.

For the first 12 months of piloting Ghana.GOV, data available from digitization of the revenue collection process already indicates that the platform have processed more 5.8 million transactions settling over GHS 20.4 billion as at 4pm of the 13th of July 2021.

All these funds were settled directly and timely into the relevant public fund accounts with full visibility and without any administrative delays as compared to previous arrangements that took several months to achieve same.

So far, some 624,000 persons have registered to pay for about 37 government services including various direct taxes, indirect taxes, levies, royalties, and stamp duties to the accounts of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).

Users of the platform can also pay for services from Passport Office, Lands Commission, Ghana Standards Authority, Food and Drugs Authority, Public Procurement Authority, Registrar General’s Department, Ghana National Service Scheme, Births and Deaths Registry and others.

The Finance Minister is full of hope that the trend shows that Ghana.gov will seal the leakage in the government revenue collection and ensure the needed locally generated revenue for national development.

He noted that COVID-19 has negatively impacted foreign direct investment so the way to go for every country is to develop very robust internal revenue collection systems and technology is key to that process, hence the importance of Ghana.GOV.

Ken Ofori-Atta, for instance, stated that currently 80% of government’s tax revenue comes from the Greater-Accra region, other big regions like Ashanti Region account for only 7%, Western Region – 8% and Eastern Region – 6%.

He believes Ghana.GOV will correct that anomaly, urging Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to make full use of the platform to ensure that business in the Eastern, Ashanti and Western regions met their tax obligations fully.

The Minister also noted that the national ID registration has captured over 22,000 professionals in Ghana who do not pay their professional taxes and plans are afoot to ensure that they do so regularly.

Minister of Communications and Digitalization, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful said when the three local Fintechs were selected for the project, the decision faced some amount of opposition both internally and externally, but the result of their work has vindicated the decisionmakers.

She is confident government can now see its revenue flow at all MMDAs in real time, adding that the various state agencies like the Data Protection Commission and National Cybersecurity Center have put measures in place to protect the data of persons on the platform.

Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia who launched the platform said he believes Ghana.GOV will stem corruption to a large extent and improve government revenue by about GHS3 billion a month.

“Ghana.gov will chase out all the demons and principalities in the public sector and safeguard government revenue – in fact, the gains so far even shows it is chasing them out already,” he said.

He gave the example of how piloting the platform on revenue collection in the tourism sector saw a four-fold revenue gain at some of the state’s tourist sites, adding that the system is kicking our middlemen and human interventions that often facilitate corruption and embezzlement.

Source

Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has praised indigenous company Hubtel and others for the development of Ghana.Gov, a one-stop platform to enable citizens to easily access government services, simplify payments for public services.

In a Facebook post after the launch of the platform on Wednesday July 14, he said “I am excited that once again we did not have to go beyond our shores to develop and manage a platform to address a local challenge.”

“Indeed, the spirit of collaboration and innovation exhibited by the local technology companies ( Hubtel, expresspay and IT Consortium) is worth commending.”

He added “At the Jubilee House today [Wednesday July 14, I launched Ghana.Gov, a one-stop platform to enable citizens to easily access government services, simplify payments for public services, ensure prompt payments for the services and promote transparency and visibility of internally generated funds dubbed Ghana.Gov and can be accessible via www.ghana.gov.gh or shortcode *222# on any mobile phone.

Ghana.GOV will offer a simple and single convenience for all government services and will also make it easy for everyone to find and pay for government services.”

He explained that the convenience of enabling all persons to pay for government services with mobile money, bank cards, the new GHQR code, “our fintech apps on our phones or at any bank branch will eliminate the hassle of going through long queues and hopping from office to office just to make a payment for a government service.

“I congratulate and thank all who worked hard to turn this idea into reality, leapfrogging bottlenecks in public administration, accelerating our economic transformation.”

Source