Open Letter To Hon. Samuel Nartey George

Minister for Communications and Digitalisation, Republic of Ghana

Honourable Samuel Nartey George

Subject: MTN’s Mobile Money Seizure of Customer Funds Without Consent — A Breach of Public Trust and Urgent Call for Ministerial Oversight

Dear Hon. Minister,
With utmost urgency and a deep sense of generational duty, I write on behalf of senior citizens of the Republic of Ghana to express our collective outrage at a deeply troubling trend in the mobile money sector—one that threatens to undermine both public trust and the ethical foundation of our digital financial systems.

A recent incident involving MTN Ghana has brought to light an indefensible practice. A citizen mistakenly transferred mobile money to the wrong number. Rather than facilitating a lawful and transparent reversal, MTN chose to seize the funds—claiming them against a debt owed by the recipient. Only a partial refund was issued, *without the sender’s consent, court order, or even prior notification*.

This is not a simple operational oversight. It represents a dangerous abuse of corporate power and a violation of the most basic principles of fairness, consent, and lawful procedure. If telecom companies are allowed to reassign private funds without accountability, what legal protection remains for the ordinary Ghanaian?

We believe this is not an isolated case. Mobile money users across the country have long voiced frustration over wrongful deductions, opaque recovery mechanisms, and a dispute resolution system that disproportionately favors providers over the very people they serve. This growing imbalance signals a larger crisis of accountability in the digital economy—one that urgently requires ministerial intervention.

Therefore, we respectfully but resolutely call on your office to:

1. Launch an immediate investigation into MTN Ghana’s mobile money recovery practices and similar conduct across other service providers.

2. Issue clear directives prohibiting the unilateral reassignment of consumer funds by telecom providers, especially without legal authority.

3. Establish or strengthen an independent dispute resolution office empowered to protect consumers and ensure due process.

4. Mandate that all erroneous transfers be refunded in full—unless fraud is conclusively established in a court of law.

5. Support mass public education campaigns that empower citizens with knowledge of their digital financial rights and recourse.

No service provider should be allowed to act as creditor, judge, and collector in a single breath—particularly not at the expense of vulnerable consumers, including the elderly and low-income earners. These actions set a dangerous precedent and severely weaken public confidence in Ghana’s digital economy.

Hon. Minister, this moment demands bold and principled leadership. Ghana must not allow technological advancement to outpace justice. We, the senior citizens—custodians of our nation’s moral conscience—are counting on your office to act swiftly in defense of every Ghanaian’s right to lawful, ethical, and transparent service.

We trust in your commitment to fairness, and in your dedication to safeguarding our digital future.📢🇬🇭✨

Sincerely,
A Retired Senior Citizen
For and on behalf of All Senior Citizens of the Republic of Ghana