To start an online store in Ghana, register your business name or company with the Office of the Registrar of Companies, accept mobile money (MTN MoMo, Telecel Cash, AT Money) and cards through a provider such as Paystack or Hubtel, choose your delivery mix with apps such as Bolt Food and Chowdeck, and register with the Data Protection Commission before you collect customer data.
This guide is written by TheCoins, which sells online store, ordering and loyalty software. We cite a public source for every fee, law and market figure, and we tell you where to check current terms. It is written for restaurant, cafe and retail owners in Ghana, mainly in Accra and Kumasi.
1. Register with the Office of the Registrar of Companies
Payment providers ask for registration documents before they activate a business account, so register with the Office of the Registrar of Companies (ORC) first. A business name suits a sole proprietor. A company limited by shares suits partners or owners who plan to grow or raise money.
| Item | Official fee (2026 schedule) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Business name registration | GHS 130 | Optional VIP service adds GHS 650 |
| Business name annual renewal | GHS 70 a year | Can be paid by USSD on *222# |
| Company limited by shares | GHS 585 | Plus capital duty of 1% of stated capital |
| Company Prestige/VIP service (optional) | GHS 1,300 | For companies limited by shares or by guarantee |
For a business name, check that the name is available, complete and sign Form A, pay the fee, and the Registrar issues a certificate. Confirm current fees on the ORC website before you pay.
2. Accept mobile money first, then cards
Mobile money is the main way Ghanaians pay. The Bank of Ghana estimates that mobile money transactions reached about GHS 4.5 trillion in 2025, with 26.7 million active accounts at the end of December 2025 (provisional figures). Your checkout should accept the three networks: MTN MoMo, Telecel Cash and AT Money. MTN held 73% of mobile subscriptions at the end of the second quarter of 2025, Telecel 18% and AT 8%, so MTN MoMo alone will not reach every customer.
| Option | What it covers | Fee to check |
|---|---|---|
| Paystack | Cards, mobile money and bank transfers | 1.95% per local transaction |
| Hubtel | Mobile money across all networks, bank cards, transfers to wallets and banks | Ask Hubtel for current merchant rates |
| Direct MoMo merchant number | Customer sends money to your wallet | Check network charges; you match payments by hand |
Example with Paystack: on a GHS 150 order the fee is 1.95% of 150 = GHS 2.93. On a GHS 1,000 catering order it is GHS 19.50. Parliament abolished the 1% E-Levy on electronic transfers in March 2025, so customers no longer pay that charge on mobile money transfers.
TheCoins takes payment through the provider you connect; ask us which providers are live in your country before you launch.
See how payments work on TheCoins
3. Plan delivery with the apps that operate today
Bolt Food has operated in Accra since 2021 and reported that orders from non-restaurant businesses, such as groceries and pharmacy products, grew 154% in the first half of 2026. Chowdeck entered Ghana in 2025, passed 1,000 daily orders in Accra about three months after launch, and now serves Accra and Kumasi. Glovo exited Ghana in 2024, and Jumia Food is no longer operating, so do not plan around them.
Apps bring discovery, but they take a commission and keep the customer's details. A practical setup is to list on Bolt Food and Chowdeck for new customers, and to invite repeat customers to order from your own link, served by your riders or a dispatch service. Check each app's commission in your contract.
Example: if 40 regular customers order directly each month at an average of GHS 180, that is GHS 7,200 in sales. If your app contract charged 20%, you would keep GHS 1,440 a month that would otherwise go to commission.
4. Use WhatsApp and SMS to bring customers back
If you take orders by chat and phone today, you know the limits: chat orders are hard to track, and payment is often confirmed by a screenshot that someone must check by hand. Let your store handle the menu, the price and the mobile money payment, and use messages for what they do well.
- Share your store link in your WhatsApp Business profile, Instagram bio and on printed QR codes.
- Send order confirmations and delivery updates automatically.
- Get written consent before sending offers, and include a way to stop them.
- Keep promotions rare and useful: a reward reminder, a birthday offer, a note after a few weeks without an order.
5. Follow the Data Protection Act 2012
Ghana's Data Protection Act 2012 (Act 843) is enforced by the Data Protection Commission (DPC). Four points matter most for a store and a loyalty program. First, a business that processes personal data must register with the DPC before it starts, and renew the registration every two years. Second, you may not use a customer's details for direct marketing without their prior written consent; a clear tick box at sign-up that the customer actively selects is the practical way to record it. Third, tell customers what you collect and why, and let them see and correct their data. Fourth, keep only what you need.
The DPC started spot checks and enforcement on 5 October 2026. Penalties are set in penalty units (one unit is GHS 12): ignoring an enforcement notice can bring up to 150 units, and selling personal data up to 2,500 units, with possible prison terms. This section is general information, not legal advice; ask a lawyer about your case.
6. What it costs per month
| TheCoins plan | Price in USD | About in GHS |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | $79 a month | about GHS 925 |
| Growth | $199 a month | about GHS 2,330 |
| Pro | $349 a month | about GHS 4,085 |
Plans are billed in US dollars. The cedi figures use 1 USD = GHS 11.70 (currencyconvert.online mid-market rate, 9 November 2026) and will move with the exchange rate. There is no commission on orders. Add payment fees, delivery costs and the cost of rewards to your budget.
7. A step-by-step launch plan
- Week 1: register with the ORC and open a business bank account and a merchant mobile money account.
- Week 2: register with the Data Protection Commission and write a short privacy notice.
- Week 3: set up a payment provider that accepts MTN MoMo, Telecel Cash, AT Money and cards.
- Week 4: load your menu or catalog with photos, prices in cedis and delivery zones, then test ten orders on all three networks.
- Launch: print a QR code for tables and bags, share the link on WhatsApp and Instagram, and start a simple loyalty reward.
- Month 2: compare direct orders with app orders and adjust delivery zones and rewards.
Where TheCoins fits
TheCoins gives you an online store, ordering links and QR codes, coins loyalty with tiers, referrals and rewards, Apple Wallet loyalty and gift cards, and WhatsApp, SMS, email and push journeys in one system. The Pro plan adds a branded iOS and Android app. It supports multiple branches, kiosks and analytics, connects to Oracle MICROS and other POS systems via API, and connects to Shopify. If you only need a simple catalog, a lighter tool may be enough; TheCoins fits best when you want direct orders and repeat visits in the same place.
Read our guide to starting an online store in Nigeria
Sources
- 2026 schedule of fees and charges (Office of the Registrar of Companies, Ghana)
- Business name registration (Office of the Registrar of Companies, Ghana)
- Transactions pricing, Nigeria and Ghana (Paystack Support, September 2026)
- Collect payments in Ghana: MTN MoMo, Telecel Cash and AT Money (Eversend)
- Hubtel developer documentation: payments (Hubtel)
- Total value of mobile money transactions for 2025 hits GHC 4.5 trillion (MyJoyOnline, January 2026)
- Ghana pushes Telecel and AT merger as MTN maintains market dominance (Ecofin Agency, September 2025)
- Parliament abolishes E-Levy (Ghana News Agency, March 2025)
- Bolt Food sees 154% growth in non-restaurant orders (MyJoyOnline, July 2026)
- Bolt Food and Chowdeck in Ghana; Glovo exit (TechCabal, April 2025)
- Chowdeck hits 1,000 daily orders in Ghana (TechCabal, July 2025)
- Chowdeck passes two million users as expansion strengthens (Techeconomy, December 2025)
- Data protection laws of the world: Ghana (DLA Piper)
- DPC begins checks on data protection compliance (Ghana News Agency, October 2026)
- US dollar to Ghanaian cedi rate, 9 November 2026 (currencyconvert.online)
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