MTN Mobile Money Services to Go Offline For Six-Hour Upgrade on August 17
- MTN Ghana has notified customers of a planned system upgrade that will disrupt all mobile money services
- The disruption to the mobile money services is expected to take place on August 17, over a period of six hours
- Charles Asamoah Assah, Chief Technology & Service Delivery Officer of Mobile Money Limited, has given more details
MTN Mobile Money services will be disrupted on August 17 because of a planned system upgrade.
Graphic Online reported that services would be down from 12:00 am to 06:00 am on August 17, 2025.
Source: Getty Images
MTN has also said the upgrade is necessary to enhance service delivery.
Charles Asamoah Assah, the Chief Technology & Service Delivery Officer of Mobile Money Limited, told Citi News that all Mobile Money services would be unavailable during this period.
This will include deposits, withdrawals, transfers, and bill payments.
MTN Ghana assured customers that normal services would resume immediately after the maintenance window.
MoMo user receives over GH¢4.7k in interest
Meanwhile, in April, a mobile money user received a windfall of over GH₵4,000 in interest from the telecommunications giant, MTN Ghana.
A screenshot shared on Facebook by telecommunications expert Barnabas Nii Laryea indicated that the MoMo user was paid GH₵4,782.28.
Although Laryea shared the screenshot, it was unclear if the MoMo account from which the interest was paid belonged to him.
Source: UGC
How the MTN mobile money service works
The interest was earned through MTN's mobile money savings or investment feature, which allows users to grow their funds while keeping them accessible.
MTN Ghana reportedly offers an interest rate of 12% per annum on unused funds in mobile money accounts.
This interest applies to money left untouched in the account, making it a viable option for users to earn returns on idle funds.
The mobile money service effectively acts as a pseudo-savings account.
This means that the MoMo account shared by Laryea had GH₵39,935.67 for more than a year without any withdrawals, earning GH₵4,782.28 in interest.
Aside from serving as a pseudo-savings account, the MoMo service provides a range of features, including easy fund transfers to other MTN users or non-users, payment of utility bills, school fees, airtime top-ups, and other expenses.
MTN Ghana in December 2024 announced that it had 17.2 million active mobile money users in the country.
Customers can turn down MTN interest payments
MTN Ghana, in 2017, announced a new measure that allowed mobile money customers to unsubscribe from receiving interest on their deposits.
The move came in response to concerns raised by some customers who opposed the decision to receive interest on the money in their mobile wallets.
Source: Getty Images
These customers argued that, per Islamic teachings, Muslims are not allowed to accept interest, hence the need to opt out of interest payments.
Persons who now desire to be exempted from receiving interest payments can dial *595# to block the payment.
MTN Ghana confirms data breach
YEN.com.gh also previously reported that MTN Ghana confirmed that the data of over 5,700 of its customers has been affected due to a recent cybersecurity incident.
In a press statement on April 28, 2025, MTN Group stated that its platforms had remained fully operational, adding that it was still working to get to the bottom of the case.
Proofreading by Bruce Douglas, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.
Source: YEN.com.gh
