The Mobile Money + WhatsApp problem every Ghanaian merchant knows
The current workflow for most Ghanaian businesses collecting Mobile Money through WhatsApp goes like this: quote a price, give your MoMo number, ask the customer to send the money, wait for them to send a screenshot, verify the payment manually, then confirm the order. Each step is a potential failure point — wrong number, forgotten screenshot, delayed verification, or a customer who simply does not bother.
There is a better way. With the right WhatsApp automation setup, Mobile Money payments happen inside the conversation — no separate steps, no screenshots, no manual verification. The customer taps a payment link, selects MTN MoMo, Vodafone Cash, or AirtelTigo Money, pays, and you receive an automatic confirmation. The order is processed without you touching anything.
How in-conversation Mobile Money payments work
Relay integrates with Paystack, which supports all three major Mobile Money networks in Ghana:
- MTN Mobile Money (MoMo) — Ghana's most widely used Mobile Money service
- Vodafone Cash
- AirtelTigo Money
When a customer completes their order in a WhatsApp conversation handled by Relay, the AI automatically generates a Paystack payment link and sends it in the chat. The customer taps the link, sees a payment page with all three MoMo options (plus card and bank transfer), completes the payment in under 30 seconds, and returns to the chat. Relay receives a webhook from Paystack confirming payment and automatically sends the order confirmation and receipt.
No screenshots. No manual checking. No "please resend the confirmation" messages.
Step-by-step: setting up Mobile Money payments on your WhatsApp business
Step 1: Create a Paystack account
Go to paystack.com and sign up for a business account. You will need a Ghana business registration number (or use your personal details for a sole trader account). Verification typically takes 1–3 business days.
Step 2: Enable Mobile Money on Paystack
In your Paystack dashboard, navigate to Settings → Payment Channels and ensure MTN Mobile Money, Vodafone Cash, and AirtelTigo Money are all enabled. They are active by default on Ghanaian accounts.
Step 3: Connect Paystack to Relay
In your Relay dashboard, go to Settings → Payments and enter your Paystack secret key. This is the only technical step — copy and paste from your Paystack API settings page.
Step 4: Test with a real transaction
Place a test order on your own WhatsApp number. Use Paystack's test mode to simulate a Mobile Money payment without real money moving. When it works, switch to live mode.
Transaction fees: what you actually pay
Paystack charges 1.5% + GHS 0.30 per transaction for Mobile Money in Ghana, capped at GHS 50. For a GHS 200 sale, the fee is GHS 3.30. For a GHS 1,000 sale, it is GHS 15.30. These fees are charged by Paystack, not Relay — Relay's flat monthly subscription covers the automation layer.
Compare this to the cost of a sales assistant manually handling payments: the time saved across 50 orders per month easily justifies the transaction fee many times over.
Handling payment failures and disputes
Mobile Money transactions occasionally fail — insufficient balance, network issues, or a customer changing their mind. Relay handles this automatically: if a payment fails, the AI sends a friendly follow-up message prompting the customer to retry or choose a different payment method. Failed payments do not result in phantom orders or inventory confusion.
For refunds, Relay integrates with Paystack's refund API. You can initiate a refund directly from the Relay orders dashboard — the money returns to the customer's Mobile Money wallet within minutes.
The business impact of frictionless Mobile Money collection
Merchants who switch from manual MoMo collection to automated in-chat payment links consistently report one dramatic change: payment completion rates jump. When a customer has to remember to send a screenshot, a meaningful percentage simply do not. When a link is right there in the chat, the path of least resistance is to tap and pay.
For a business doing 100 orders per month at GHS 150 average order value, improving completion rate by even 10 percentage points means an additional GHS 1,500 in monthly revenue. The automation pays for itself many times over.