What Clara Arthur’s return to GhIPSS as CEO means for Ghana’s digital payments future

Starting September 1, 2025, Clara B. Arthur will resume as the CEO of Ghana’s Interbank Payment and Settlement Systems (GhIPSS) Limited. GhIPSS is a subsidiary of the Bank of Ghana. It serves as the country’s primary payment infrastructure provider.

Arthur’s appointment takes effect two months after her former boss, Archie Hesse, stepped down after 13 years of leadership.

For GhIPSS and Ghana’s broader digital payments ambitions, this is more than a personnel change. It is a pivotal moment that blends continuity with the promise of a refreshed strategic direction.

Arthur returns, but with a broadened perspective

Clara Arthur is no stranger to GhIPSS. Between 2015 and 2020, she served as General Manager for Projects and Business Development. Whilst under Hesse’s leadership, she helped develop and spearhead key projects like the GhIPSS Instant Pay (GIP), and heralded mobile money interoperability (2018) across telcos and banks.

Arthur brings more than two decades of experience in banking and digital financial services. Her résumé includes senior roles at Ecobank (Head of ATM and Card Technology) and Fidelity Bank (Head of E-banking), along with international work as a Digital Financial Services Consultant at CGAP and Remittance Expert at UNCDF. She holds a BA in Law and History from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, and an MSc in Finance and Administration from Thames Valley University.

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However, her appointment as GhIPSS CEO follows a trend of appointing former Project and Business Development Leads at the company, given the existing familiarity with the work required as CEO. For instance, Hesse occupied that same role for four years before stepping up to lead GhIPSS as CEO.

In her first public remarks following the announcement, Arthur described the move as a return to familiar ground: “It is more of a return for me. I look forward to working alongside this talented team to continue the legacy of GhIPSS.” Her appointment was confirmed by the Bank of Ghana, with Governor Dr. Johnson Asiama signalling her ability to bring a “fresh perspective and strategic vision” to the institution’s next chapter.

A changing landscape

Arthur steps into this role at a time when Ghana’s payment infrastructure is both mature and under pressure to evolve. GhIPSS-run systems like e-zwich, gh-link, and GIP form the backbone of the country’s interoperable ecosystem. But despite their technical robustness, they have not achieved the same visibility or mainstream adoption as international networks.

As Tech Labari, a leading tech publication from Ghana, points out, many GhIPSS products remain underutilised. E-zwich, launched as a biometric card-based payment solution, was ahead of its time but still has limited usage among the general population. Gh-link, Ghana’s domestic EMV card scheme, similarly competes with global giants like Visa and Mastercard with only modest traction.

Arthur’s challenge is not simply to maintain these systems, which she helped build, but to reposition them. She will be expected to infuse customer focus, increase relevance, and broaden the accessibility of Ghana’s existing payment infrastructure. Her experience across both local banks and international development agencies suggests a unique ability to bridge the gap between public infrastructure and private sector innovation.

The Hesse legacy that Arthur inherits

Hesse’s job-to-be-done was different. He transformed the organisation from a subsidised entity into a financially self-sustaining national asset.

His tenure began in 2007 as General Manager for Projects and Business Development, and his impact was far-reaching. Hesse led the rollout of Ghana’s national biometric card system (e-zwich), established the Cheque Codeline Clearing (CCC) and Automated Clearing House (GACH) systems, and launched gh-link—the country’s first domestic card scheme.

In 2015, he spearheaded the creation of GhIPSS Instant Pay (GIP), which brought real-time interbank transfers to Ghana. This paved the way for mobile money interoperability (MMI) in 2018 and culminated in the launch of GhanaPay in 2022, a shared mobile money platform operated by licensed banks. Under his leadership, GhIPSS played a central role in advancing the Bank of Ghana’s cash-lite agenda, aimed at reducing dependency on physical cash.

This is the legacy Arthur inherits—and the foundation on which she is expected to build.

Reimagining GhIPSS as a platform for innovation

If Hesse’s legacy was building infrastructure, Arthur’s may be defined by platform enablement. Ghana’s fintech ecosystem has grown rapidly, with startups, telcos, and banks innovating in digital wallets, credit scoring, and embedded payments. Yet GhIPSS remains the connective tissue—a regulated utility that ensures interoperability and transaction integrity.

For Ghana’s next phase of digital growth, GhIPSS must move from being a quiet enabler to a visible partner in innovation. That may mean rethinking pricing models, opening APIs to developers, expanding cross-border settlement capabilities, or simplifying user journeys on existing products.

GhIPSS is at a turning point, one where relevance will be earned not just through technical robustness but by delivering platforms that feel essential to everyday Ghanaians and digitally native businesses.

See also: Food delivery startup, Chowdeck expands to Ghana, raises $9M to fuel expansion

The Bottom Line

Clara Arthur’s return to GhIPSS signals more than a routine leadership change. It’s a deliberate move by the Bank of Ghana to continue modernising the country’s payment systems, while introducing fresh energy into an institution that underpins much of the financial ecosystem. With a legacy of sound infrastructure behind her, Arthur now faces the challenge of delivering innovation, scale, and inclusion in equal measure.

Ghana’s next decade of digital payments may well be defined by how GhIPSS evolves under her leadership. “Together we will continue to drive meaningful impact, embrace new opportunities and shape a future in the payments industry that we can all be proud of,” says Arthur.