In their pursuit of daily bread and honest livelihoods, some Mobile Money (MoMo) agents across Ghana have faced life-altering trauma, while others have suffered untimely deaths.
The challenges faced by Mobile Money (MoMo) agents in Ghana are numerous and complex, encompassing issues of security and financial strain.
These agents play a crucial role in providing financial services in both urban areas and underserved communities, but their work is fraught with significant difficulties.
However, the safety of MoMo agents recently has become an urgent concern, with increasing reports of attacks and robberies.
In addition to security threats, these agents also confront fraud-related issues, including scams and phishing attacks, which put them at risk of significant financial losses.
Between January and April 2025 alone, six MoMo vendors were shot dead in various regions of the country, with the Ashanti Region recording the highest number of incidents.
Here, The Ghana Report explores the struggles of MoMo agents in Ghana, examining the alarming number of lives lost since the start of 2025.
- MoMo vendor shot dead in brazen robbery at Aflao
A mobile money agent tragically lost his life after unknown assailants ambushed him in an armed robbery attack around 6:15 p.m. on Monday, April 28, 2025.
The incident occurred at Gbagblakope, close to the Diamond Cement Factory in Aflao, in the Ketu South Municipality of the Volta Region.
The deceased, identified as Christopher Ahordo, popularly known as Colombo, reportedly extended his closing hours from 5:00 pm to 6:15 pm on the day the incident happened.
According to eyewitnesses, when Colombo was about to close his Mobile Money (MoMo) shop, two gentlemen dressed in long robes, with their faces concealed and armed with pump-action guns, approached him.
The armed robbers forcibly took a bag believed to contain cash, and as they attempted to flee, one of the robbers shot Colombo in the left side of his chest.
According to eyewitnesses, they were unable to assist Colombo immediately, as the assailants were firing indiscriminately while fleeing into a nearby bush.
Residents later transported the wounded body to a nearby hospital, but he was pronounced dead upon arrival.
- Another MoMo vendor was shot dead at Manso-Asamang
In another incident, a 33-year-old MoMo vendor was shot and killed by unknown attackers at Manso-Asamang in the Amansie West District of the Ashanti Region on Wednesday, February 26, 2025.
The victim, identified as Augustine Mensah, was ambushed while returning home after assisting a customer with a transaction.
According to reports, Augustine had closed from work when he made a stop at the customer’s house.
However, on his way back, unidentified assailants attacked and shot him.
He was rushed to the hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.
Augustine’s body was transferred to the mortuary at St. Martin’s Hospital for preservation and autopsy.
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- Momo Vendor Shot Dead Over GH₵10k
A female vendor was also cruelly shot dead in broad daylight by an unknown assailant, who made away with her GH₵10,000 at Krofrom, a suburb of Kumasi, in the Ashanti Region.
The deceased, who was identified as Patricia Nimako, aged 27, was shot at close range by her attacker while she was about to enter her kiosk after withdrawing the GH₵ 10,000 from the bank at 3 pm on Thursday.
After shooting Patricia twice in the stomach, the unidentified killer then jumped on a waiting black motorbike with his accomplice, and they sped off from the area at top speed.
Patricia, who was bleeding profusely after the shooting incident, was rushed by eyewitnesses to a nearby medical facility to help save her life, but medical personnel declared her dead on arrival.
- Another MoMo vendor shot dead in brazen robbery at Nkrankwanta
On Tuesday, February 18, 2025, another vendor, Japhet Yeboah, was shot and killed in a brazen robbery at the Nkrankwanta lorry station in the Dormaa West District of the Bono Region.
The incident occurred around 4 p.m. when gunmen arrived at the station in a white RAV4 private car.
Disguising themselves as customers, they approached Japhet under the pretence of making a transaction.
Shortly after, they attacked him and demanded money, leading to a struggle.
In the course of the scuffle, Japhet managed to unmask one of the robbers, but he was shot twice.
He died on the spot, while the assailants made off with an undisclosed sum of money.
- MoMo Vendor Murdered
A 25-year-old MoMo vendor was gruesomely murdered in his room at an area close to the Kwadaso Onion Market in the Kwadaso Municipality of the Ashanti Region.
The deceased, identified as Junior from Ejisu Onwe, was found dead in his room three days after he was last seen by his friends and neighbours.
The incident, according to some residents, is believed to have occurred on Saturday, March 8, 2025, after the deceased had returned home with a substantial amount of over GH¢200,000 from the Kumasi Race Course.
Some friends of the deceased raised an alarm when they could not locate his whereabouts.
A formal report was made at the Suntreso District Police, and a search in the deceased’s room found him in a pool of blood.
The amount he brought home with him was nowhere to be found, raising suspicion of foul play.
- MoMo agent shot dead at Pwalugu
On March 3, 2025, a tragic incident claimed the life of Benjamin Apuri, a mobile money agent in Pwalugu, who was shot and killed during a robbery.
The assailants made off with an undisclosed sum of money.
The unfortunate incident left residents in shock, calling on law enforcement agencies to tighten security in the township and its environs.
- Robbers bolt with GH₵30k after attacking MoMo vendor
In a similar situation, two armed robbers on Monday, January 27, 2025, stole over GH₵30,000 from a Mobile Money (MoMo) vendor, Clara Quainoo, at Amanfrom in the Ga South Municipality of the Greater Accra Region.
Armed with a gun and a knife, the robbers attacked the MoMo vendor around 7:00 pm when she was closing up for the day.
Narrating the incident to reporters, Clara said the two armed men came on a motorbike and attacked her and her sister.
“One of the robbers pointed the gun at my sister, and the other pulled out a knife and demanded we hand over our money,” she recounted.
She added that she sustained injuries on her left hand.
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