Senior Manager of MTN Business, Benedict Bentil, has highlighted the rapid growth of Ghana’s social media audience as a major opportunity for businesses, while warning that weak payment integration and trust deficits are limiting the full potential of social commerce.
Speaking at the Citi Business Festival on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, on the theme “E-commerce, social commerce and digital marketing for Ghanaian brands,” Mr. Bentil said social media platforms have become powerful marketplaces due to their large and active user base.
He noted that millions of Ghanaians are already reachable through platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, making them valuable channels for business visibility and customer engagement.
“There’s about 8 million on Facebook, more than 2 million on Instagram, and even more on TikTok,” he said, stressing that these users represent a ready market for businesses that can effectively convert online attention into sales.
According to him, the main challenge is not audience size but the difficulty of completing transactions smoothly within social media environments.
He explained that while conventional e-commerce platforms have integrated structured payment systems, social commerce often relies on manual interactions that slow down the buying process.
“In social commerce, someone has to start a WhatsApp conversation, then you tell them to send MoMo, and then you have to confirm before you send,” he said, describing the process as inefficient.
Mr. Bentil called for greater use of digital tools such as APIs, chatbots, and automated payment systems to streamline transactions and make online buying more seamless.
He also pointed to platforms like WhatsApp Business and mobile money merchant services as existing solutions that could be expanded to support small and medium-sized enterprises.
Beyond payment challenges, he identified trust as a major obstacle affecting both buyers and sellers in the digital marketplace.
He explained that concerns about product quality, delivery reliability, and payment security continue to affect consumer confidence in online transactions.
“The trust issue is a problem we are trying to solve because it’s on both sides, supply and demand,” he noted.
However, he added that most transactions remain successful, arguing that isolated incidents should not discourage broader adoption of digital commerce.
Mr. Bentil emphasized that stronger verification systems, improved digital records, and better platform accountability could help build confidence and accelerate the growth of social commerce in Ghana.
