MoMo Fest 2026 promotes cashless shopping and digital financial inclusion in Kumasi

MoMo Fest 2026 has brought digital payments to traders and consumers at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi, allowing festival-goers to purchase food, clothing and other goods using mobile money. The event, supported by Mobile Money Fintech Ltd (MMFL), combined live entertainment with a marketplace featuring local vendors, with the MoMo App serving as the primary platform for transactions.

Organisers say the initiative is aimed at expanding digital financial inclusion, encouraging businesses to adopt cashless payment systems and educating users on safer mobile money transactions. MTN Kumasi Territory Sales Controller, Samuel Owusu Baah, said the festival was designed to extend financial services to people at the grassroots level by making digital payments more accessible to traders and consumers.

“We are organising a cashless market in Kumasi with vendors. We are ensuring that the financial inclusion we have been trumpeting with MTN MoMo reaches the grassroots, to ensure everyone is included,” he said. He explained that selected vendors had been brought together to sell their products while encouraging customers to pay electronically through the MoMo platform.

Mr Owusu Baah said MTN staff were also available at the festival to help existing and prospective customers register for services and access products, including loans and savings. “MoMo is now an everyday thing, so our staff are also here to assist customers and prospective customers,” he said. He added that the initiative formed part of the company’s efforts to support livelihoods and strengthen its relationship with consumers in Kumasi.

Festival promotes safer digital transactions Beyond encouraging cashless shopping, MMFL used the festival to educate patrons and vendors on mobile money fraud prevention. The education covered measures to protect accounts, identify scams and adopt safer digital financial practices as more people rely on electronic transactions. Vendors at the festival also offered discounts on selected products, providing an additional incentive for patrons to shop at the cashless marketplace.

Ecobank offers on-site banking support Ecobank, the event’s main sponsor, provided on-site banking support to help patrons access its services, open accounts and resolve account-related challenges. A representative of the bank said its team was available to assist customers with the Ecobank account and mobile application, while also helping vendors interested in opening business accounts.

“We are giving services and assisting customers to have the Ecobank account, Ecobank app and assist with problem solving. If you are a vendor and you need a business account we can assist you,” the representative said. The representative also highlighted a prepaid card available for online transactions, which the bank said was free and accessible to non-customers.

The festival reflects efforts by financial service providers to integrate digital payments into everyday commercial activities while improving access to financial services for traders and consumers. Through the combination of cashless shopping, customer support and financial education, MoMo Fest 2026 seeks to encourage greater adoption of digital financial services among businesses and the wider public.