Broadcasting
Are there Really Cashless Economies?
By Yvonne-Faith Elaigwu, Head of Operations and Governance, OnePipe
‘Cashless’ has probably become one of the most popular words in Nigeria in the last few months. While it can be defined in different ways, it has one universal meaning and is characterised by the exchange of funds for goods and services by methods other than the use of cash.
This little or no dependence on cash is not forced by an inability to queue for hours at an ATM or an unwillingness to pay an exorbitant fee to a PoS or mobile money agent. No, this little dependence on cash is because of the ability to meet financial obligations without necessarily needing to handle cash.
You are probably thinking about the western world and the level of development that makes this their reality but some very solid examples of cashless economies also exist in Africa.
One of the easiest ways to identify a Nigerian in Kenya for example (excluding the Naija-ness) is by how they transact. As a Nigerian visitor, you are very likely to pay in cash when you buy food, shop at a neighbourhood market, buy things from the roadside or visit a tourist centre. This alone – paying in cash everywhere – is more likely to scream “foreigner” than if you had worn a green-white-green Ankara at that time.
When the M-Pesa platform marked its 15 year anniversary last year, it had grown to more than 51 million customers, 465,000 businesses, 600,000 agents, and 42,000 developers across Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Ghana, and Egypt, as reported by Business Insider.
Ghana, our neighbours, digitised their economy with Mobile Money. The Bank of Ghana in its payment systems annual report for 2021, reported that its volume of Mobile Money transactions increased to 4.25 billion in 2021, representing a 47.1 percent growth, compared to 2020. Similarly, the total value of transactions increased to GH¢ 978.32 billion in 2021, from GH¢ 571.80 billion in 2020.
In dollar terms, the value of transactions in 2021 was $75 billion (based on current exchange rates). For perspective, Ghana’s GDP was $77.59 billion that same year. This essentially shows us mobile money transactions could cover the entire economic activities in Ghana (when currency devaluation over the past year is factored in).
The Carnegie endowment for international peace also referencing a BOG report, said in recent years, Ghana has been identified as one of the biggest mobile money markets and the fastest-growing one in Africa with 40.9 million accounts as at February 2021. Again, for context; the population of Ghana is 32.8 million. A Business Day report in 2019, noted that in Ghana, the utilisation of Mobile Money has become so ubiquitous, that it no longer has a wow effect, and is just a part of their everyday life. The average Ghanaian can go about his or her day and be productive without ever needing to transact with cash, just like their peers in Kenya and other countries where cash is increasingly less important.
Somalia’s journey to a cashless economy is perhaps the most inspiring. It is recorded that between 1990 and 2013, Somalia received no foreign direct investment, and the monetary system broke down with the collapse of the Somali Central Bank. The Somali government installed its first ATM in 2014, but the progress of its wider digital economy has been astonishing. The Somali Central Bank introduced a central payments system in August 2021 which connects the nation’s 13 lenders, and formalises digital payments, making payments easier for people across the country.
According to a report by the World Bank published in 2018, almost three-quarters of the Somali population aged 16 and older use Mobile Money. Somalia’s Gross Domestic Product, grew by an estimated 2.9 percent in 2019 and by 3.2 percent and 3.5 percent in 2020 and 2021 respectively. Eight years after the installation of their first ATM, Somalia is now recognized globally as a cashless economy.
Today, in its urban centres, Mobile Money penetration is over 80 percent. Even in rural areas, it has become the currency of choice, with a penetration rate of 55 percent.
Need we add examples of the western world? Maybe just a few.
In 2022, Merchant Machine ranked Norway on the list of 10 countries closest to a completely cashless society, with cash accounting for only 2 percent of all payments in Norway, 100 percent of its population owning a bank account, and 71 percent also owning a credit card.
It was followed by Finland with the same small percentage of cash-based payments ( 2 percent) and none of its citizens going without a bank account, then New Zealand also having two percent cash-based payments but a very slightly higher unbanked population of one percent.
The UK ranks lower at number eight due to a slightly smaller percentage of credit card users (65 percent) and higher percentage of unbanked population (3 percent). However, it sees less cash-based payments overall, with just 1 percent of all payments being made with notes and coins.
Now imagine a scenario where you navigate the city of Lagos without worrying about “change”, or whether the cash in your hand is not counterfeit or too worn out. Imagine not worrying about making any payments, not because you are a Dangote or because Otedola is your daddy, but because you have various payment options in your pocket or at your disposal; cards, phone, apps, USSD codes etc. More importantly, imagine that your transactions are happening within the banking ecosystem, your bank therefore has visibility into your spending patterns and is able to adequately profile you to access credit. Despite the promising future a cashless economy offers, the experiment in India has offered the rest of the world some lessons on how not to go about it. The Economic Times of India for instance, noted that after invalidating 86 percent of the currency in circulation (the 500 and 100 notes), the government started scrambling to promote digital payments, yet, only about half of Indian adults had bank accounts, and only about a quarter had internet access. Mobile payments were rare and even if everyone had wanted to go digital, they couldn’t have.
The lesson? Before going cashless, alternatives should not only be in place, but reliable too. India’s move towards going cashless has not been a complete failure but it came at huge human and economic loss.
An article on The Balance Money describes a cashless society as one where all transactions are electronic, using debit or credit cards or payment services like PayPal, Zelle, Venmo, and Apple Pay. In Nigeria, we have companies like OnePipe, offering technologies that digitise and simplify payment processing to downplay the dependence on cash.
Although not a lot of societies are truly cashless, many economists believe that consumer preferences, competitive pressures on businesses, profit seeking by banks, and government policies designed to facilitate cashless transactions will soon lead to more cashless societies which eventually lead to economic growth.
Federal government, yesterday, said that it will now launch the so-called FreeTV, with over 100 channels for news, sports, education, entertainment and children’s programming in multiple Nigerian languages on June 17.
National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) had initially scheduled for May 15 for the launch.
But the new date was announced by Mohammed Idris, minister of Information and National Orientation, on Wednesday during a facility tour of NIGCOMSAT, alongside Dr Charles Ebuebu, director general of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) and other stakeholders.
Idris said the long-awaited migration from analogue to digital broadcasting had finally become a reality after years of failed attempts and delays, describing the project as a major breakthrough for Nigeria’s broadcasting industry.
“I have been grappling with this idea of the DSO for many years. Moving our transmissions from analogue to digital has now happened and is ready to be commissioned by June 17,” the minister said.
He revealed that several channels had already been bundled onto the platform, adding that the digital transition would transform broadcasting, advertising and television consumption across Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa.
According to him, the new platform introduces scientific audience measurement tools capable of tracking viewership patterns in real time, thereby giving advertisers reliable data for targeted campaigns.
“Now science is at play. If you are viewing a station, we know who is watching what and how many people are watching. Advertisers can now take informed decisions about the kind of programming Nigerians want to watch across all demographics,” Idris stated.
The minister said the collaboration between NIGCOMSAT, NBC, the Ministry of Communications and the Ministry of Information had made the digital transition possible, while commending President Bola Tinubu for providing the necessary support and resources.
He described previous DSO efforts as limited and expensive due to encrypted set-top boxes but noted that the new system would be free and accessible to millions of Nigerians.
“In the past, the boxes were encrypted and costly. Now this is free. Government has taken off some of those costs on behalf of Nigerians,” he said.
Idris stressed that unlike earlier pilot phases restricted to a few cities, the new digital platform would have nationwide and regional reach through NIGCOMSAT’s satellite infrastructure.
“Everybody can now watch whatever he wants in real time and painlessly. Free TV everywhere for everybody”, he declared.
The minister also hinted that the platform would challenge the dominance of existing pay-TV operators by offering Nigerians wider viewing options at no cost.
“I don’t want to always use the word ‘substitute’, but this offers opportunities you didn’t get before. You no longer have that monopoly again. Competition is going to set in. Content will grow and viewership will grow,” he said.
He added that the platform would initially launch in standard definition, SD, before quickly transitioning to high definition, HD, bringing Nigerian broadcasting in line with global standards.
“Soon after the launch, we are moving to HD. Nigeria will now compete globally. What you watch here is what you get anywhere,” Idris said.
The minister further disclosed that the service was already available via mobile application and had successfully undergone testing ahead of the official unveiling.
Also speaking during the tour, managing director and chief executive officer of NIGCOMSAT, described the collaboration between NIGCOMSAT and NBC as a strategic partnership that has strengthened service delivery and raised operational standards within Nigeria’s digital broadcasting ecosystem.
According to her, ongoing investments and satellite expansion plans under the current administration will guarantee reliable and continuous service delivery.
“The work has only just started. The work has only just begun,” she said.
Among those who accompanied the Honourable Minister on the tour were Salihu Abdullahi Dembos, director-general, Nigerian Television Authority (NTA); Jibrin Baba Ndace, director-general, Voice of Nigeria (VON); Mohammed Bulama, director-general, Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN); and Lanre Issa-Onilu, director-general, National Orientation Agency (NOA), alongside other senior government officials and dignitaries.
Metro Digital Limited, a licenced Indigenous broadcasting organisation, has accused Multichoice, pay television company, of refusing to obey judgements emanating from Courts in Nigeria.
It said the latest of such judgements is the one that was delivered by Justice Chinelo Odili of Rivers State High Court on May 4, 2026 in Suit No. PHC/3943/FHR/2025.
Dr. Paul Osuji, operations manager of Metro Digital, at a press conference in Port Harcourt, Rivers State,
said the suit was filed by the organisation and two others against Multichoice and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Osuji stated that Justice Odili has in the judgement described the arrest of a staff member of the company and the carting away of it’s properties and disruption of it’s broadcasting business by the EFCC over a civil dispute of copyrighy as unlawful and violations of the applicants’ rights.
The manager recalled that in October 2025, Multichoice instigated the EFCC to read their office in Port Harcourt, arrested a staff of the company and staff of another company, while the suit was still pending.
“On October 16, 2025, the premises of Metro Digital Limited, a licenced indigenous broadcasting organisation was raided by the Nigerian anti-graft agency, EFCC, instigated by Multichoice Nigeria, purportedly acting on a preservation order made by the Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt over the sub licensing of broadcasting content right.
“The preservation order came from a civil dispute already adjudicated by the Court of Appeal No. CA/CS/188/2021 – Multichoice Vs Metro Digital Limited and 20 others, which is a subject of a pending appeal -No. SC/CV/1248/2022 -Multichoice and 20 others before the Supreme Court.
“Instructively, while suit No. PHC/ 3943/ FHR/2025 was still pending, Metro Digital Limited filed an application to set aside the said preservation orders of the Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt and presided over by Hon. Justice A.T Mohammed.
“In his ruling delivered on December 10, 2025, set aside the preservation orders and it’s legal execution on Metro Digital Limited. The court also ordered EFCC to return unconditionally all the properties and records of Metro Digital Limited, illegally and unlawfully carted away during the raid but the agency has till today not obeyed those orders of the Court,” he said.
Metro Digital Limited is known for operating SLTV, a direct-to-home satellite television service launched to provide affordable, locally-owned alternatives to international pay TV
A Federal High Court in Lagos has restrained the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) from sanctioning or punishing broadcast stations and presenters over the expression of personal opinions, alleged bullying of guests, or failure to maintain neutrality on air.
NBC
Justice Daniel Osiagor granted the interim injunction following an ex parte application filed by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE).
The court specifically restrained the NBC, its officers, agents and affiliated persons from enforcing its recently issued “Formal Notice” or imposing sanctions, fines or penalties on broadcasters based on provisions of the 6th Edition of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.
SERAP and NGE had approached the court to challenge what they described as an arbitrary and unlawful move by the commission to punish broadcasters for allegedly expressing personal opinions as facts, bullying or intimidating guests, or failing to maintain neutrality during programmes.
The groups also asked the court to determine whether the provisions of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code relied upon by NBC were inconsistent with the 1999 Constitution, as amended, and Nigeria’s international human rights obligations.
The suit followed an April statement by the NBC in which it raised concerns over what it described as increasing violations of the broadcasting code across news, current affairs and political programmes.
The commission had warned that presenters who expressed personal opinions as facts or bullied guests during live broadcasts would be sanctioned.
However, Justice Osiagor, in his ruling, held that pending the hearing of the substantive matter, the commission must refrain from using the formal notice to threaten, sanction or punish broadcast organisations and on-air personalities under the contested code provisions.
The matter was adjourned until June 1, 2026, for hearing of the motion on notice.
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