Ghana’s MoMo Culture Confuses Nigerian TikToker: "You Don’t Know Your Bank Account Number?"
- Nigerian TikToker Eniola Adeoluwa questioned why many Ghanaians did not memorise their bank account numbers
- The video sparked a cultural conversation about financial habits and tech-driven convenience in Ghana vs Nigeria
- Ghanaians responded by noting the dominance of mobile money platforms like MTN MoMo over traditional banking
A viral video from Nigerian TikToker, Eniola Adeoluwa, has sparked lighthearted yet reflective conversations between Nigerians and Ghanaians, all over something many might not even think about: knowing your bank account number off-hand.
In the clip making rounds on social media, Eniola recounted a moment during a casual chat with a Ghanaian friend. He had asked his West African neighbour whether she knew her account number but the response he received took him by surprise.
Source: Instagram
For Nigerians, especially those raised in a cash-first or bank-transfer culture, knowing your account number is second nature.
It’s something Naija citizens are told to memorise early, often out of necessity.
Sending money, receiving transfers, or walking into a bank branch to fill out a teller form usually demands this.
However, in Ghana, the financial system appears somewhat different.
“I was talking to a friend just now and she’s like, she doesn’t know her account number. How? So what if someone wants to send money to you?” Eniola commented.
According to his friend, she said it was simply to use her phone to check.
That was all Eniola Adeoluwa needed to hear to launch into a humorous yet sincere rant that many Nigerians resonated with, and had many Ghanaians responding in kind.
He claimed that, unlike his friend from GH, he had memorised all his bank account numbers so as to not to take any chances.
Source: Instagram
Ghanaians react to Eniola's rant about accounts
Thanks to the dominance of mobile money platforms like MTN MoMo, Vodafone Cash, and AirtelTigo Money, many Ghanaians do not rely on bank accounts for everyday transactions.
Sending money, paying for goods, or even receiving salaries in some cases happens almost entirely via mobile wallets, all tied to phone numbers, not account numbers.
As one Ghanaian user, Miss Olivia commented under the video:
"In Ghana, we mostly use Mobile Money Wallet/Account to receive or send money. Some of us don't even have a bank account."
The moment Eniola voiced his opinion is below:
While Nigeria has a more card-and-bank-focused infrastructure, Ghana has embraced a mobile-first financial model, with mobile money reach estimated at over 40 million active accounts, which is more than the country’s population of 33 million.
In such an ecosystem, the average Ghanaian is more likely to remember their MoMo PIN than their bank account number. Social media user, Double Vision, had this to say:
"All I know is my PIN... God bless my homeland, Ghana."
YEN.com.gh had also gathered other Ghanaians' reactions to the Nigerian's concerns:
Amma_Gold commented:
"We use bank for huge transactions. But Mobile money is for convenient money."
Benjie wrote:
"Our Phone numbers are linked with our bank accounts, and the App automatically brings out your account number as soon as you start your transaction, wherever you are."
Efya slam MTN over MoMo fraud attempt
Meanwhile, YEN.com.gh had earlier reported that Ghanaian singer Efya had called out telecommunication giant MTN and reported an alleged MoMo fraud incident on her account.
Taking to social media, she issued a complaint about an attempted withdrawal from her account without consent. She advised MTN to put more effort into protecting its customers.
Proofreading by Bruce Douglas, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.
Source: YEN.com.gh
