Before Hubtel:

A power utility was unable to fully collect revenue for the electricity it distributed

Ghana’s largest power distributor is the sole entity mandated to supply and sell electricity across southern Ghana. It serves millions of customer connections, residential, commercial, and industrial, and is responsible for one of the most critical infrastructure operations in the country. 

For over a decade, annual sales growth had consistently remained below average inflation. The organization knew revenue was being lost. What it could not do was see exactly where, measure how much, or act on it in time to make a difference. The problem ran deeper than a leaking pipe. It ran through every stage of the revenue chain. 

Each month more than GHS 2.1 billion worth of power was consumed across the network. By the time that energy was billed, the figure had dropped to just over GHS 1 billion. By the time bills were captured as paid, it had fallen further to roughly GHS 600 million. And by the time money was deposited and available, less than GHS 450 million remained.  

Every single month, more than GHS 1.6 billion in value was produced and delivered to customers but never converted into usable revenue. 

The causes were structural and spread across every layer of operations. Payments came in through mobile money, cash, third-party vendors, bank transfers, and cheques. None of these channels were connected to each other. None fed a single system. Finance teams reconciled manually across all of them, a process that consumed days. Sometimes weeks. With Oracle 10G databases running commercial operations, the infrastructure itself was a decade behind where it needed to be. 

Metering systems failed regularly with no dedicated monitoring. Prepaid meters were disconnected from any centralized consumption tracking. Internal analysis would later reveal that 1 in every 3 prepaid meters had a technical issue affecting how consumption was accurately billed, and that inaccurate meter billing was the single biggest contributor to commercial losses on the prepaid estate. For every 2 metered customers on the network, there was 1 unknown consumer drawing power with no account attached to them at all. 

The result was a business generating enormous output that was, in practical terms, flying without instruments. Leadership received revenue reports that were described last week, or last month. The decisions made from those reports were already out of date before they were acted on. There was no mechanism to catch a fraud case developing in the field, identify a meter draining revenue quietly in Ashanti West, or see in real time which districts were underperforming and why. 

Before Hubtel’s intervention, the highest monthly revenue ever recorded on the PowerApp platform was GHS 30.02 million. In the five years from 2017 to August 2022, the platform generated a cumulative total of GHS 546.67 million. 

Bringing Clarity:

Building the instruments the business had never had 

Hubtel’s engagement began in November 2022. The objective was not to bolt a payment layer on top of an existing system. It was to rebuild the commercial infrastructure from the ground up, close every gap in the revenue chain, and give leadership instruments to actually see what was happening across the network in real time. 

Phase 1 ran from November 2022 to April 2023, focused entirely on fixing payment processing losses. The fragmented payment channels were replaced with a single unified framework. The PowerApp was rebuilt as the primary point of interaction for all customers and all payment types. Third-party vendor quota systems were centralised and fully integrated with the banking system.  

Bill payments for both AMR and non-AMR customers were brought into a single platform with direct bank and fintech connectivity. Bonded cashiers and POS agents were brought into the framework. The Oracle 10G infrastructure was replaced with Oracle 19C. A 24/7 monitoring team was deployed to maintain system availability around the clock. 

The impact was immediate and visible in the monthly numbers. In November 2022, revenue through the platform stood at GHS 14 million. By December it had reached GHS 90 million. By January 2023, GHS 231 million. By February, GHS 815 million. By March 2023, the month the new framework reached full deployment across all 16 metering systems combined with bank and fintech integrations and bonded cashiers. Collections hit GHS 972 million in a single month.  

The milestone the organisation had been targeting, GHS 1 billion in monthly revenue, was within reach for the first time. 

Phase 2 ran from September 2023 to February 2024 and addressed the deeper structural problem: revenue protection. Consumption was happening that the organisation could not see and therefore could not bill for. Hubtel introduced Cloud Consumption Monitoring, a system that queries every prepaid meter on the network for monthly consumption data and compares it against actual payments made. The gap between the two reveals precisely where revenue is being lost, at the meter level, for every customer across the entire estate. 

Alongside Cloud Consumption Monitoring, OperationZero was deployed. Built using deep neural network architecture and AI-driven anomaly detection, OperationZero analyses large-scale consumption and vending data to identify illegal connections, tampered meters, and customers consuming power at volumes that do not match their payment history. It does not flag possibilities. It identifies confirmed cases for field teams to act on. 

The PowerApp itself was also deepened into a full customer-facing commercial platform. Customers gained daily consumption estimates, self-service meter reading, monthly statements downloadable as PDFs, and real-time postpaid bill visibility. PowerApp users grew from approximately 5 million at the start of 2025 to more than 7 million by January 2026. 

Putting Management in Control:  

From historical reports to live decisions 

Before the platform existed in its current form, asking how much had been collected today required waiting until the finance team had reconciled multiple disconnected systems, a process that took days and produced figures nobody could fully trust. 

That changed with a single dashboard. 

From the moment any payment is made, through any channel, by any customer, it appears. The total for the day, the breakdown by payment type, and the variance against the previous period. Directors, management assignees, and performance analysts can see the same data at the same time, without waiting for a report to be compiled. Reconciliation, which once stretched across days, now runs against a single source of truth and produces results on demand. 

At the field level, Cloud Consumption Monitoring put specific, actionable data in front of operations teams for the first time. Analysis of the SmartG metering system alone revealed that across 2024, customers consumed GHS 516.3 million worth of electricity but made payments totalling only GHS 374.2 million, a gap of GHS 142.1 million from a single metering system in a single year. Before this system existed, that gap was invisible. There was no mechanism to detect it, no data to quantify it, and no way to assign it to specific accounts for follow-up. 
 

Every row on that table is now actionable. The accounts, the districts, the meters, the customers. All of it is visible and available to the field teams responsible for closing the gap. 

Pursuing Growth:

What happened when the instruments were finally working 

In the first partial year on the platform, from November 2022 through December 2022, GHS 86.16 million flowed through Hubtel across 551,504 transactions. In 2023, the first full year of operation following the complete Phase 1 deployment, GHS 11.94 billion was processed across 18.5 million transactions. That number grew to GHS 17.65 billion in 2024, the strongest full year on record, with transaction volume nearly doubling to 35.6 million. In 2025, the GHS value of transactions processed came in at GHS 14.48 billion, but transaction volume rose to 65.9 million, an 85% increase over 2024. 

That shift in 2025 is worth explaining directly. The average Receive Money transaction fell from GHS 657 in 2023 to GHS 222 in 2025. This is not a decline. It is a maturing platform. Millions of customers who previously paid in large, infrequent amounts are now paying smaller amounts more often. The platform is deeper in customer behaviour than it was before. By May 2026, GHS 6.87 billion had already been processed in the year to date across 38.7 million transactions. March 2026 recorded the highest single month for transaction volume in the platform’s entire history: 8.24 million transactions in one month. 

Annual platform performance 

The last time comparable revenue growth was recorded was in 2001. 

The Impact So Far 

The platform Ghana’s largest power distributor runs on today is not static, but the results it has already produced tell a clear story about what clarity and control actually deliver at scale. 

Before the platform existed, less than 22% of the value of power consumed each month reached the organisation as usable revenue. Monthly collections on the PowerApp peaked at GHS 30.02 million over the five years from 2017 to August 2022. Within five months of the new payment framework going live, that figure had grown to GHS 972 million. Within one full year of operation, GHS 11.94 billion had been processed. By 2024, GHS 17.65 billion. By 2026, the platform is processing more than GHS 1.4 billion in a single month. 

Clarity made the invisible visible. Control made the visible actionable. Growth followed because it had no choice.

For many laundry and home cleaning businesses, the hardest part is not doing the work. It is following up for payment afterwards. 

A customer picks up their clothes and says they will send the Mobile Money later that evening. A home cleaning client says they will pay after confirming with their spouse. Another customer sees your message, replies “sure boss,” and still forgets to send the payment. 

Now you have to follow up again. 

So, you type: 

“Please have you been able to send?” 

But that can feel uncomfortable sometimes. 

Not because customers do not want to pay. Most of the time, they simply forget. But the responsibility of remembering, and asking again, always falls on the business owner. 

After a while, the reminders become exhausting. 

You start mentally tracking: 

• Who has paid 

• Who promised to pay later 

• Which jobs are still unpaid 

• Who needs another follow-up message 

And when you are handling multiple pickups, deliveries, or cleaning appointments every week, keeping up with all of them becomes difficult. 

READ ALSO: Upcoming Changes: Do More in One Place 

That is why many laundry and home cleaning businesses are moving away from manual follow-ups to invoicing. 

With Hubtel BackOffice Invoicing, you can send an invoice the moment a job is completed, or clothes are collected. The invoice includes the amount, payment link, and due date, in one message. 

Then the system handles the reminder for you automatically. 

So instead of chasing customers on WhatsApp, they receive a payment reminder from the invoice itself. It feels more professional, less personal, and much easier for you and the customer. 

Your customers usually intend to pay, but sometimes they just need a nudge that does not have to come from you. 

Hubtel BackOffice Invoicing lets you send invoices and set automatic reminders, so you can focus on the work, not the follow-up. 

Send invoices with automatic reminders using Hubtel BackOffice

Running a business is easier when you can tell exactly where your money is at a glance. We have updated the account names on your Money page to better reflect how you receive and send funds every day. 

New Names, Clearer Purpose 

The previous labels, POS Sales Account and Prepaid Account, no longer fully described how merchants use the platform. We have updated these names to align with the actual flow of your money: 

• Collections Account (formerly POS Sales Account): This is the dedicated account where you receive all payments from your customers. 

• Disbursement Account (formerly Prepaid Account): This is the account you fund when you need to send money out, such as funding SMS campaigns, API and commission services. 

Better Visibility for Paying to Many Accounts 

Alongside these clearer labels, we have improved how you handle outgoing transactions: 

• Pay Many Accounts: You can now make payments to multiple accounts at once using your Disbursement Account. 

• Transparent Fees: Every payment to many accounts now includes a clear breakdown of fees, giving you full visibility into your costs before you send money. 

What This Means for You 

This is a naming update designed to make your experience more intuitive. 

• No Action Required: Your account balances and transaction history remain exactly the same. 

• Unchanged Workflows: You can continue to use your accounts as you always have, just with labels that are easier to understand. 

For many businesses, managing money goes beyond receiving payments to include buying airtime, settling utility bills, and tracking constant fund movements. Often, this leads to a marathon of app-hopping.

One minute you are logged into a bank portal, the next you are switching to a mobile money app, and later you are using a separate website just to settle a bill. This jumping between tools wastes time and makes it difficult to see the full picture of your finances.

The Backoffice Portal is addressing this with new features designed to bring these everyday financial activities into a single, unified workspace. 

Never Miss a Sale: Start collecting payments right here. 

With the new Take Payments feature, the process of requesting payments is built into your BackOffice. You can initiate customer payments through mobile money, GhQR and other supported channels. This makes it easier to collect funds quickly while ensuring every incoming transaction is tracked in one system for simpler reconciliation. 
 

Pay Your Bills Directly from Your Back Office 

At the same time, managing business expenses is now just as convenient. You can pay for essential services like electricity (ECG), water, and TV subscriptions (DStv, GoTV) directly from your Backoffice. You can even handle airtime and data purchases for your team in the same place. Moving these tasks into your main workflow saves time and reduces the risk of missed payments. 

Better Visibility for Better Decisions 

These updates are built around how your business operates. Taking payments and paying bills are ongoing tasks and bringing them together means fewer interruptions and a more organized way to manage your cash flow. By keeping more transactions within the platform, you gain better visibility to track your balances, monitor activity, and make informed decisions. 

Get Ready to Explore the New Features 

The new take payment and billing services will soon be ready for you on Backoffice Portal. This update lets you collect customer payments and pay your bills directly from your Portal. Because everything is built into one hub, you can manage your money and run your business daily without having to jump between different apps or websites. 

When you’re ready to start your business day, the last thing you need is a login process that leaves you in the dark. You need to know if your payment channels are running smoothly before you even begin processing transactions. We’ve redesigned the Backoffice login page to give you a clear view of your business tools and system performance from the moment you arrive. 

A More Secure Way to Sign In 

Managing a business means protecting your financial data. We have refined the login process to add extra security without slowing you down. 

• Microsoft and Google Logins: You can still use your existing accounts, where you receive a One-Time Password (OTP), which is sent to your registered phone number for extra protection. 

• Registered Email Login: OTP codes are now sent to your email. This ensures you can access your account even if you are outside Ghana. 

Check Service Status at a Glance 

Now, you can see the real-time performance of all key services directly on the login page. 

With the Service Status dashboard, you can: 

• Confirm if payment and notification channels are “Running fine”. 

• Identify ongoing issues to avoid transaction delays. 

• Make informed decisions when handling customer transfers or payments. 

Stay informed on Backoffice changes 

You shouldn’t have to hunt for information about new features or system changes. The login page now includes a dedicated News section that brings important updates directly to you. 

Let’s be honest: creating and managing invoices shouldn’t feel like extra work. Whether you are billing a single customer, setting up recurring payments, or invoicing an entire group, you need the process to be quick and straightforward. We have upgraded the Invoices & Bills experience to do exactly that. 

A Better Way to Create Invoices 

The invoice creation process is now smoother from start to finish, with all necessary fields organized in one view. 

• Quickly add customer details under Bill To, enter invoice numbers, and set due dates. 

• Add items with quantities and prices, and watch your totals update instantly as you work. 

• Easily apply discounts, taxes, or additional fees without extra steps. 

The Right Invoice for Every Need 

One size no longer has to fit it all. You can now choose a specific invoice type based on how you bill your customers: 

• Simple Invoice: Best for one-time purchases or single services, like a quick repair or consultation. 

• Repeat Invoice: Ideal for recurring payments (daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly). This is perfect for high-value items, such as school fees or electronics, that customers pay for in instalments. 

• Many Invoices (Group Billing): Designed for bulk billing. You can send the same invoice to a group or upload a list with different amounts, useful for charging rent to tenants or fees to a group of students. 

Manage Everything in One Place 

Once an invoice is created, you no longer need to switch between screens to track its progress. 

From a single view, you can now: 

• Track Status: See instantly if an invoice is “Paid” or “Not Paid”. 

• Log Manual Payments: Record payments made via cash or check so your records stay accurate. 

• Monitor Activity: View a complete timeline of all activity related to that specific invoice. 

• Share and Edit: Download, share, or attach necessary documents directly to the invoice. 

Try it Out 

The new Invoices & Bills experience is live. Log in today to see how these updates help you reduce errors and manage your billing with less stress. 

Running a business means keeping a close eye on what’s coming in, what’s going out, and what’s available at any moment. When your finances are scattered across different menus, it slows you down and creates unnecessary stress.

We have redesigned the Money page on your Backoffice to give you better visibility and faster access to your funds. 

See Your Money in One Place 

No more switching between screens to track different accounts. The new layout provides a complete overview of your finances at a glance: 

• Total Balance: Instantly view the combined total of all your accounts. 

• Individual Accounts: See clear, separate cards for each account to identify where your funds are held. 

• Detailed Statements: Access a clear breakdown of every deposit and withdrawal, which you can download for your records at any time. 

Simplified Navigation 

We have reorganized the side navigation menu so all “money” functions are in one place. Everything you need is now just a click away, making your workflow smoother and more professional. 

• Approvals and Pending Payments: You can now manage requests directly from the dropdown menu in the top-right corner. 

• Owners with approval rights can view and manage pending requests. 

• Finance Managers can easily track and manage pending payment requests. 

• Cancel Transfer Request: If an employee makes a mistake, they can now cancel an approval request before it is processed to ensure incorrect payments aren’t accidentally approved. 

Try it Out 

The new Money page and dashboard updates are live today. Log in to your Backoffice to explore these features and see how they transform your daily management.

On Monday, 15th September 2025, the Hubtel team received news that would change the tone of the week completely — the sudden passing of Kojo Akyer, a valued member of the Quality Assurance (QA) team.  

Kojo joined Hubtel on 1st August 2024 as a Quality Assurance Test Automation Engineer, a role that placed him at the heart of ensuring the reliability of Hubtel’s systems and applications. In a short time, he became an integral part of the QA team, working on the Merchants Portal and collaborating with other testers to strengthen system performance and deliver smooth customer experiences. 

Though relatively new to the company, Kojo quickly distinguished himself through his work ethic, focus, and humility. He approached every project with quiet determination and professionalism that earned the respect of both his peers and leaders. 

“Kojo brought both skill and dedication to his work,” shared Michael Adom, Head of the QA Department. “He approached every task with focus, diligence, and humility. His technical expertise, willingness to learn, and teamwork stood out in every project he touched. Above all, Kojo was dependable — someone who could always be counted on to get the job done right.” 

His calm personality and disciplined approach to testing and automation made him a steady influence on his team. Those who worked closest with him often describe him as a kind, reliable, and quietly confident professional who made everyone feel at ease. 

“His unwavering dedication and quiet humility left a lasting impression on both our immediate team and the entire QA department,” said Jewel Appiah, one of his managers. “Kojo made significant contributions that not only advanced our work but also strengthened the bonds among team members. He will be remembered not just for what he did, but for who he was dependable, kind, and deeply respected.” 

Kojo’s time at Hubtel may have been brief, but his impact was profound. Beyond his technical contributions, he embodied qualities that resonate deeply within Hubtel’s culture, teamwork, respect, and a commitment to excellence done with humility. He represented the quiet strength that keeps teams moving forward, often without seeking recognition or applause. 

For many of his colleagues, his passing is a poignant reminder of the value of every shared moment and every small act of kindness that shapes a workplace. The QA department and the wider Hubtel family continue to honour his memory, remembering him not only as a colleague but as a friend. 

Kojo Akyer will be missed for his craft, his composure, and his humanity. And though his journey with us was short, the mark he left behind will remain for years to come. 

May his soul rest in peace. 

Kokomlemle, Accra – September 30, 2025 – Hubtel, Ghana’s leading Payment Services Provider, recently took the global stage with a feature on CNN’s Marketplace Africa.  

The segment, anchored by Zain Asher, showcased the company’s journey from an emerging tech venture to a Fintech powerhouse, providing valuable insights into the ever-growing digital economy in Ghana and across the continent. 

The feature included an exclusive interview with Alex Bram, CEO and Co-founder of Hubtel, who articulated the strategic pivots and core philosophies that have driven the company’s success since its founding two decades ago. 

The CNN segment highlighted Hubtel as a clear example of homegrown African innovation at work. The narrative focused on the crucial role Hubtel plays in digitizing commerce and facilitating seamless financial transactions, a critical function in a rapidly digitizing market. 

The interview was structured around key strategic themes, labelled as “Points,” that defined Hubtel’s journey and future vision: 

The Profit Point (Enabling Digital Commerce):

This focused on Hubtel’s core business of helping businesses collect payments from diverse sources—cash, mobile money, cards, and other digital wallets. Bram highlighted that Hubtel digitizes storefronts for a wide range of customers, from “the very small micro-enterprises” (such as a woman selling corn or plantain) to large corporations providing utility and entertainment services. 

The Homegrown Point (The Ghanaian Advantage):

Bram stressed that Hubtel’s development is inextricably linked to the story of Ghana. Ghana’s early opening up of the mobile telephony market in the 1990s created a fertile ground for companies to build digital systems, providing the market momentum to succeed. He also noted that Ghana “got it right with mobile money and interbank interoperability” early on, which has been key to the financial ecosystem’s growth. 

The Pivot Point (Strategic Evolution): The segment detailed Hubtel’s critical transition. 

The company was founded on the idea of making SMS useful for businesses, a path they followed for quite some time. The major shift, or “pivot,” occurred around 2015 when mobile money began to truly take off. Hubtel strategically moved its business away from micro-billing (like airtime billing) into becoming a leading platform for mobile money and payments. 

The Communication Point (Working with Government):

Alex addressed the complexities of working with the public sector, noting that when serving government and public service providers, Hubtel brings the same level of innovation and quality used for private businesses. He underscored the need for engagement and communication with the government, acknowledging that a “private sector lens” cannot always be applied without modification. 

The Future Point (Uncapped Growth):

Looking ahead, Alex highlighted the massive untapped potential. Despite being Ghana’s leading Fintech, Hubtel still has significant room to grow, currently only processing a fraction of the total volume of digital transactions in the economy. With a merchant base poised for expansion, the company’s focus remains on scaling its platform to drive deeper penetration of digital finance. 

Building Homegrown Solutions for a Digital Africa 

Hubtel’s ability to evolve from a messaging company (formerly SMSGH) to a comprehensive payment and commerce platform is a prime example of African businesses building world-class solutions for African challenges. Hubtel brings many payment methods into one system. Businesses accept and track payments in one place. This helps both small businesses and large businesses join the digital economy.

As Bram stated, the long-term vision is clear: “We want to be able to step it up. We think that Ghana still gives us a lot of room to grow. Even as the number one Fintech here, we still process just about 12% of the volume of transactions… This economy has over 800,000 such businesses. There is still a lot of room to grow.” 

Why This Feature Matters 

Marketplace Africa is CNN’s flagship business program dedicated to highlighting companies, leaders, and innovations that are shaping Africa’s economic future. By showcasing homegrown success stories, the program provides global audiences with a deeper understanding of the continent’s entrepreneurial energy and technological advancement. 

Being profiled on Marketplace Africa affirms Hubtel’s strategy, resilience, and impact. The feature presents Hubtel not only as a leader in Ghana’s fintech space but also as a company setting the pace for digital innovation across Africa. 

The coverage underscores the growing international recognition of Ghana’s technology ecosystem, with Hubtel at its core. By bridging informal and formal commerce, enabling everyday transactions, and driving financial inclusion, Hubtel continues to shape the future of Africa’s digital economy. 

Watch Video here:

Following the publication of the 2024 Auditor General’s report, public commentary has raised questions about whether Hubtel received GHS 75 million from the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) without a governing contract.  

For the record, we wish to clarify as follows; 

Accordingly, payments to Hubtel – including the GHS 75 million referenced in media reports – are fully covered by binding instruments approved by ECG’s Board and executed by both parties.  

Assertions to the contrary are factually unfounded. 

It’s Just Recreating the Job Market — and Ghana Is Just Getting Started 
By the Hubtel AI Lab 

In recent months, artificial intelligence (AI) has become the center of global conversation — and with it, a wave of fear. From Accra to Silicon Valley, people are asking the same question: “Is AI coming for my job?” 

As a team working at the forefront of AI research and implementation in Ghana, we’d like to say this clearly: AI is not here to take your job. It’s here to make your job better. Faster. Smarter. 

In fact, what AI is really doing is recreating the job market — and it’s giving countries like Ghana a unique opportunity to leap ahead, not fall behind. 

When AI Enters the Room, Work Becomes Faster 

Not long ago, a real estate contractor told us how long it takes to complete just six houses. The issue wasn’t materials or manpower — it was delays due to disorganization and lack of clarity on the ground. 

Imagine AI interpreting architectural drawings, mechanical layouts, and plumbing plans — and turning them into clear, step-by-step daily instructions for workers. Suddenly, confusion is replaced with momentum. Deadlines are met. Productivity skyrockets. 

This is how AI transforms work. It doesn’t replace the builder. It supercharges the builder’s speed and precision — and in a country where housing demand far exceeds supply, speed matters. 

Lawyers, Teachers, and Other Professionals Are Already Seeing the Benefits 

We’ve seen it ourselves: legal teams using AI to draft documents in minutes rather than days. Educators summarizing lesson plans or grading patterns instantly. AI doesn’t eliminate expertise — it frees up time for higher-value thinking. 

AI helps you work smarter. Not harder. 

Ghana’s Youth + AI = A Massive Opportunity 

Ghana has a young, ambitious population hungry for growth. AI can dramatically accelerate learning and skills development: 

• Vocational training becomes easier with AI-led visual guides and simulations. 

• Students in underserved areas gain access to smart tutors in local languages. 

• Coders and tech learners receive real-time feedback and project support. 

• Professionals in trades like plumbing, welding, or painting can use AI to plan projects and avoid costly mistakes. 

The outcome? A more skilled, adaptable workforce — built faster than traditional systems can support. 

READ ALSO: Hubtel Opens Ghana’s First AI Lab 

AI Can Power Smarter Governance 

AI’s potential extends beyond the private sector — into the heart of national development. 

Here’s what’s possible: 

• Urban planning with AI simulations that model roads, drains, and power needs before concrete is poured. 

• Public health monitoring, identifying trends before outbreaks escalate. 

• Smart budgeting, helping ministries prioritize funds based on data, not guesswork. 

• AI assistants for citizens, providing 24/7 access to services without long queues. 

• Cross-agency intelligence, using centralized data to identify waste, fraud, and duplication. 

With the right policy framework and data-sharing culture, Ghana can use AI to govern more effectively and spend more wisely. 

AI for Business: Your Free Consultant 

For Ghanaian entrepreneurs and business owners, AI is like hiring a brilliant assistant — free of charge: 

• Analyze customer complaints and sales trends. 

• Draft business emails, ads, or contracts. 

• Translate documents or summarize reports. 

• Identify gaps in inventory or operations. 

You don’t need a data scientist. You just need to start using the tools. AI levels the playing field for small businesses and startups — helping them think like big companies. 

READ ALSO: HubtelWay AI: An Artificial Intelligence Solution to Enhance Organizational Culture 

Final Thoughts: Relax, But Don’t Sleep 

AI is not a threat. It’s a tool. 

It will eliminate repetitive work. It will accelerate productivity. It will create new jobs that don’t exist yet. And it will allow developing countries like Ghana to leapfrog challenges we’ve struggled with for decades. 

But we must start now. To the youth, the professionals, the policymakers, the entrepreneurs — relax. AI isn’t here to take your job. It’s here to help you do more, do better, and move faster. 

And Ghana? 

We’re just getting started. 

This article was written by the research and engineering team at Hubtel’s AI Lab — a unit dedicated to exploring and applying artificial intelligence to local problems across commerce, public services, and digital infrastructure in Ghana. 

The Honourable Minister for Justice & Attorney General, The Honourable Minister for Communication, Digitalization and Innovation, The Honourable Minister of Youth Development & Empowerment, Director of Fintech at the Bank of Ghana, Chairman of the Audit Committee of Hubtel’s Board of Directors, CEOs, Distinguished Guests, Head of Departments, Partners of Hubtel, Staff of Hubtel, Our Friends, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I’m sorry to disappoint all of you this evening. Unfortunately, I do not have a speech to give.

I have instead written a letter to God in the hopes that as you pray with us this evening, you will help me deliver this message to him.

My letter reads.

Dear God,

Tonight, I come before You not to ask, but to thank You.

20 years ago, none of us knew what lay ahead. Only You did.

When Ernest and I missed the chance to enter medical school at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology — a moment that felt like the death of our life’s plan and that of parents’ dreams. You were quiet, but not absent. The door closed gently, and even in our disappointment, You were there, building a better purpose for our future. If only we could learn how to wait, study, and get ready.

We didn’t know it then, but that rejection was the beginning of the redirection — a divine pivot. I asked You for guidance during those uncertain times. I prayed, “Lead me, oh Lord. Guide me to be useful. Use me as a vessel.” And You did — not in the lecture halls or the laboratory, but in the corridors of life, through failure and friendship, through events that seemed ordinary at the time, but were heaven-sent.

You gave us the greatest education outside the classroom. In one of the lessons, I ran for political office as President of the science faculty and lost — not just lost, but lost badly and pathetically. It was so painful, but You had better plans for me.

You placed me in a different kind of leadership — not through votes, but through favour. When Francis Kwantwi Barima handed me the role of Republic Hall Week Chairman, I didn’t know that I was about to learn the very lessons I would need one day to start and run a company.

That hall week — that event — it became our proving ground. Ernest and I, along with seven others, including our most tireless teammate, the now Honorable Minister of Communication, Digitalisation & Innovation, Hon. Sam George, we gave it everything.

And You rewarded our effort. The success of that event gave us hope. It gave us belief. It gave us a can-do spirit. It gave us self-confidence to start anything. It gave us direction. It gave us Hubtel.

Dear God, I still remember the morning of the 12th of May, 2005. The last day of school. I stood before my mirror and prayed to You. And when I opened my eyes, I felt ready. I walked out with courage, not knowing what would come, but knowing You were with me.

That same day, I went to Adum and printed our first business cards. No investors. No office. No fanfare. Just a name and a dream, and the promise of Your guidance. That was the day You allowed Hubtel to be born.

In the beginning, we didn’t know what we were doing. We only knew that as long as we stood for good and pursued love for our customers and mankind, You will be with us.

Dear God, we remember with gratitude the early years — the fragile, uncertain days between May 2005 and December 2008 — when faith was often our only capital.

When Ernest and I returned to Accra after our time at KNUST, You reunited us with our dear brother, Leslie Gyimah. Teaming up with him, You gave us more than just a laptop and a car. You gave us courage — the kind that comes from old bonds and shared dreams and a special friendship that can only be built at St. Augustine’s College. This bond became the foundation of something greater. This made us all give freely — of our time, our tools, our spirit — and in those fragile early days, Your quiet support carried more weight than anyone will probably ever, ever know.

Last April, You called Leslie home. And while our hearts still ache, we remain forever grateful that You placed him in the Hubtel story. His fingerprints are on the foundation of this company, and his memory will live in everything we continue to build.

Dear God, when You rewarded our labour with our first sale in October 2005, it was a cheque for GHS 500 from North American Airlines. It meant everything. We carried that cheque from bank to bank for over six weeks, trying to convince someone, anyone, that we were a real business. And in that waiting, You taught us our first real lesson in patience and persistence.

Then more cheques came — from travel agencies, old school associations, churches, even people sending SMS messages for parties and funerals. It wasn’t glamorous. But it was real. We ended that first year with gross revenues of GHS 6,000. We saw it not as profit, but as confirmation that You were working. Working for us, working through us, working for our good, working — as long as we did your good.

While we worked hard, we fumbled through letters and proposals and invoice and code. We stumbled through meetings and presentations and those moody live demos. We chased ideas that didn’t work, and some that barely survived. But somehow, You kept our drive alive — sometimes just enough for the next day, just enough for the next idea, just enough for the next good signal, or just enough for the next prayer.

Through all the early days we couldn’t pay ourselves, all the early days we sacrificed everything, days we wondered if we were just being foolish, You whispered to our hearts, “Keep going.” And we obeyed.

Dear God, today we remember with gratitude the year 2006, when we began receiving attention from the more formal sectors — banks, insurance companies and even the Bank of Ghana. Somehow, You helped us carry ourselves well enough to enter the boardrooms that once intimidated us. There, You placed several mentors in our path — IT managers like Mr. Romeo Bugyei, Mr. Joe Adjei, Mr. Alex Kissi, Mr. Tamakloe and many others. They didn’t just buy from us; they shaped us. We watched them run their offices, structure their meetings, manage their people. And we adapted their ways. They were quiet teachers. And we thank You for each of them.

By the end of 2008, when our gross revenues exceeded GHS 1.2 million, we came to You with a new prayer: Lord, give us a place to grow. A place to plant ourselves and build.

You answered that prayer through Mr. Gideon Anim — our landlord who became so much more to us. A man whose humility, guidance, patience, and fatherliness could only have been heaven-sent. Through him, You showed us that provision doesn’t always look like a miracle — sometimes it comes wrapped in wisdom and presence.

Those years laid the foundation for our first office building. Quiet, steady, and sacred.

Then came a new dimension. A season of favor we had not seen before. In 2009, You shifted something in our favour. The mobile networks that once overlooked us began to notice. And once again, Your timing was perfect. Because we were ready; sharpened by the quiet years and strengthened by discipline. Our preparedness met the opportunity You sent through the doors of the telcos, and a new era began: premium SMS billing.

Through the next few years, from 2010 onward, You allowed us to become a conduit for information and access. Through SMS content messages, millions of subscribers across Ghana began to experience something new — personalized services in banking, entertainment, education and premium notifications. We were helping build not just a new digital culture but also preparing Ghana for a new age of service digitization.

And then between 2011 and 2015, You allowed us to rise to a position we had never imagined. Out of 47 value-added service providers, Hubtel claimed nearly 40% of the market. We had matured. We had earned respect. And when MTN Ghana named us, their Top Revenue Earning Partner, we knew it wasn’t just an award — it was a quiet confirmation from You, that we had stayed the course.

But even in the height of success, You reminded us not to be complacent. In 2015, as internet access grew, the world began to change again. The very market we had helped pioneer began to disappear slowly. Customers began to prefer online experiences over SMS ones. But with all these going on, some of the early successes had gotten too much into our heads.

Even when the signs of decline became undeniable and the market was changing fast, we moved to ignore these signs, relied on our own knowledge, and responded. We expanded — new hires, new regions, new countries. At first, it felt like progress. There was energy again. But the lessons came quickly. The declining momentum of late 2015 rolled into 2016 and collided with reality. We learned the hard way — what not to do, how not to scale a tech company.

Finally, in 2016 our growth slowed. The momentum dipped. It was hard. Very hard. But it was NOT a punishment — it was a new prompting.

You were calling us again: calling us to reinvent, calling us to rediscover, calling us to build for what’s next, not just what was.

Dear God, as I have mentioned to You several times, we are very grateful for the growing pains You put us through from 2016 to 2018. When our momentum stalled, and the outlook became bleak, we felt it — not just in the numbers but in our spirits. The path ahead was no longer clear. But even in the fog, You sent us help.

You sent us Stanford SEED — a gift we never expected. Through the Stanford Graduate School of Business and the guiding presence of a man named Hans Daniel Nilsson, You gave us new eyes to see. We began learning, truly learning, how to build for scale — not just to grow, but to grow well.

By 2018, despite several changes, we were almost broken.

Too many product failures. Too many wrong turns. Too many hard situations. We were battered — not just as a company, but as people. We questioned ourselves. We doubted our decisions. We wondered if the best days were behind us.

But You, oh God, had prepared a remnant.

A few among us were ready to begin again — not the loudest, not the most decorated, not the most skilled, not most gifted, but the humblest. They were willing to lay down old knowledge, unlearn old ways, and trust You for something entirely new.

And from that brokenness, You brought forth a rebirth. In just one year, You led us to build an entirely new platform. A new company, really. New systems. New processes. A new vision. The ashes of failure became the soil of resurrection.

And through it all, You never left us. You generated new strength for the people You had prepared for our rebirth. You surrounded us with a new team spirit — and elevated our relationships from just coworkers to brothers and sisters in purpose. We have become family. Your people who have become the Strategy Committee of Hubtel.

Dear God, I am happy that the humble people You gifted us with from those days of difficulty have become the people who have believed in the new vision, even when we all struggled to explain what Hubtel was becoming. They stayed. They built. They trusted. And they too became vessels in Your plan.

Thank You oh God for the gift of Augustine Adjei, Bill Inkoom, Eric Gershon Akoto, Daniel Frimpong, Elsie Bram, Francis Wilson, Eben Boffour, Owusu Marfo, Michael Adom, Patrick Asare Frimpong, Jonathan Ansah, and their teams.

Even though we have seen our fair share of storms — competitors with more money, ideas that failed, unspoken intentions that became lawsuits, partners who walked away, and loved ones we lost too soon. Through it all, You were there in the quiet after every storm, rebuilding us with each small victory and reshaping us with each small defeat.

Dear God, from these loins of near despair the year 2020 came upon us with a world reeling from uncertainty and pandemic. We are most grateful that even in our fear of what was to come You began to lift our eyes again. Slowly, steadily, You restored our footing in the most surprising style.

In the midst of the pandemic, fear and uncertainty, You helped us listen more closely — to our customers, to one another, and most importantly, to You. And in that stillness, You gave us clarity: that our purpose was never just to build a platform, but to build systems for the progress of the people of Ghana. To create order, simplicity, elegance, and access in the simple transactions of everyday life that we all take for granted.

You helped us see that commerce — the simple act of buying and selling — could become a force for connection, inclusion, and even healing. You allowed the work of our hands to find favor — in communities, in government policy, in delivery systems and in national payment platforms. You gave us voice not to boast, but to serve.

And so tonight, as we did on day one, with hands open and heads bowed, we do not celebrate ourselves. We mark 20 years of this journey with a pause and not an applause, and we bow our heads in gratitude to say: Lead us, Lord. Lead us into the next chapter with the same grace that brought us this far. Make Hubtel a place of hope — for young graduates, for striving retailers, for uncertain start-ups, for business owners, and even for struggling large companies. Make us a bastion of innovation — not for fame, but for impact. Make us a company operated for good — deeply human, deeply honest, and deeply useful. Let Hubtel be a reminder to all Ghanaians that when You are in the story, no beginning is too small, no loss is final, and no dream is out of reach.

Thank You God for opening doors we never knocked on.

Thank You God for bringing us opportunities we didn’t even know how to pray for.

Thank You for making Hubtel one of the early successful Ghanaian enterprises and a testament to Your promise that more companies like Hubtel are coming from Ghana, built by Ghanaians, for the good of the people of the Republic of Ghana.

Thank You, God, for constantly stretching our faith and repeatedly teaching us that growth isn’t always in the numbers, and that sometimes, it is in the resilience to show up again and again and again.

Thank You God for teaching us not to chase success, but to seek usefulness. And that in our pursuit to be useful, You give us success — in Your own time.

Thank You God for being there with your ever-present guidance, when we had to pivot and change direction, when our numbers outgrew our management capacity, when we became an uncomfortable political topic, when the media negatively noticed, when the public misunderstood what we stood for, and when unfamiliar storms brewed. Thank You for writing it all for our good.

Thank You for every mistake that taught us humility.

Thank You for every small win that reminded us of Your favour.

Thank You for every single person who walked with us — from the beginning until now.

Thank You for how far You have brought all of us gathered here tonight.

Thank You for how far You have brought Hubtel.

Thank You for how far You have brought the people and the Republic of Ghana.

In Jesus’ name, I pray with thanksgiving. Amen.

Thank You all for your attention.