This article is part of the series featuring the great apps solving real problems in Ghana and beyond, used by real people and praised by real people.
We all use many applications on our Android phone but how many of these apps are/were made by Ghanaian developers or businesses? Maybe none, maybe just a couple.
Today, I’ll be introducing another Android app, made with love from Ghana, that’s solving real life problems and improving the lives of Ghanaians who are looking for the opportunity of kinda cashless transactions.
I’ve always dreamed of being able to live a cashless life to some extent, which I did when I was in Cape Town. With payment systems integrated so well into the society’s merchandise et all, it was easy to live a month in Cape Town without ever touching physical money. One approach to achieving such as system is putting services and payment mechanisms in the palm of people via Android applications.
With my Nedbank Android application, I could pay for most of the services I used in just about tapping my phone screen a couple of times at different spots!
I missed that opportunity when I returned to Ghana, but thanks to Mpower, my payment world of opportunity has opened up, and I’m thankful!
Meet MPower
Called MPower – (Macho Power ;p, maybe?) It’s quickly become my favorite Ghana made app and yes it’s solving real problems unlike gimmick apps from so-called Africa’s Mark Zuckerberg.
Mpower does a lot, so much for me to list them all here. To make life simple for us all, they’ve thoroughly covered on their official website everything you’ve got to know about MPower, how it works, and what services its gonna help you with!
Meanwhile, I will focus on helping you get the MPower experience from a user’s standpoint, whiles I leave the talking to MPower. Head over to their official website and learn more for yourself.
As someone who takes electronic transactions critical, loading my debit card details into any product or service developed by a team from Ghana, I felt hesitant at first. I’m likely not the only one, but I hope to be the last! Its not always easy entrusting your debit card details into platforms online, but I must say I feel absolutely comfortable using MPower at the moment.
MPower Payments is Ghana’s PayPal, and even better than the latter!
Well, Mpower just turned my life around. I am now a repented soul, ready to explore and enjoy apps and services delivered professionally by Ghanaians. Ghana, proves time and again how competent and professional we can be and are, yet it takes a bit of effort for many Ghanaians to fall in line, and dance to the music. There are many Ghana-made apps out there really making impact, yet it takes some convincing before we jump onto them.
I hope with my series of article putting the spotlight on quality Ghana-made apps, you likely will develop appetite to using these locally brewed professional products from our dear developers. With quality products and services like these from Mpower and the like, the tables are turning, and its about time we all embrace these services.
My PayPal account was permanently banned, and I was blocked from using an account I opened legitimately when I was in Cape Town, all because I had moved to an ‘unsupported’ country, Ghana.
Although that was sad news, the best news was, there was a native service similar, and tailored better for the Ghanaian market, that is as professional as other services provided by multi-billion dollar companies out there.
With my use of MPower, I realized its not about having the biggest funding or seed in the world that makes a great product. Its all about being professional, serious, and focused. MPower has shown all these prowess, and I’m sold.
MPower is Smartphone Enabled!
As an icing on the cake, there’s an Android app natively designed for these platforms, that you could take with you on the go. After trying the PC dashboard of MPower, to experience the full Mpower ecosystem, I jumped onto my smartphone (smartphones = Android. iPhones aren’t smart!).
Download the MPower app today!
Small app size, made for a quick download from Play Store, and getting up and running with the mobile app was painless. In fact, I think the Android app ticked lots of best app practices checkboxes for me, if not all.
Always ensure there’s a thick, green bar on the left side of your address bar in your browser, ANYTIME you’re sending confidential data to and fro websites. Verify that ALWAYS!
Although with a slightly different arrangement of content, it took a sec to get the hang of where everything is. With the mobile app, straight to the point, with less drama, and stable, efficient and quick, there’s no way I could miss using it.
The MPower, although hesitant at first, I’m sold, and thinking of dumping larger money onto it, for easy access of funds wherever I am. With Mpower, who needs PayPal in Ghana? In the near future, hopefully, Mpower will expand their services into markets and shops for quick and sweet purchasing and merchandise. See business who’ve already signed up to use MPower in transactions
Last but not least, be rest assured your transactions with MPower servers are secured, as MPower website is verified Geo Trust EVV SSL. In other words, it’ll take way more trouble for someone trying to intercept your communications with MPower and perhaps grab some confidential data to do so, as HTTPS is activated full-time with MPower. Don’t let the homepage deceive you into thinking MPower isn’t secured. It is!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbzXAu6OWHM
My only recommendation to the MPower team is to grab a free SSL Certificate for their homepage, at least to get that ‘greeny’ look to the padlock on the left on the address bar. It doesn’t hurt anyone, but puts a smile to the faces of paranoid online users, and gives these individuals the kinda confidence they need, to know they’re secured!
Conclusion
Have you tried MPower Payments before? What was your experience? Let me know in the comments.’
