MPs get E-zwich cards

Page 14, June 14, 2009
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah

THE Standard Chartered Bank on Wednesday began a two-day exercise to issue E-zwich cards to Members of Parliament (MPs) and staff of the Parliamentary Service.
According to officials of the bank, the exercise was aimed at educating the MPs to be aquainted with the new electronic system of transaction to assist them to educate their constituents about the system.
Briefing the MPs about the benefits of the exercise, the General Manager of Wealth Management of the bank, Mr Benjamin Mensah, explained that the e-zwich worked both on line and off line.
That means that it did not require an active connection to a bank to complete a transaction.
He stated that the system would eventually reduce cash holdings, bank charges, communication cost, reconciliation problems and the maximisation of risks associated with fraud.
Mr Mensah said the bank’s quest to issue the cards for its customers as well as others had been successful.
He said the bank was now in its second stage of the programme during which holders of the E-zwich cards would be encouraged to activate them so as to enable the use of the card to transact their daily businesses.
The MP for Nkwanta South, Mr Geshon Gbediame, asked his colleagues to take advantage of the exercise to own an E-zwich card to assist them in their transactions.
He thanked authorities of the bank for bringing their services to the doorsteps of the MPs.