The incident, which sparked widespread public outrage online, came at a time when mobile money platforms are being promoted as a critical alternative to cash amid persistent currency shortages and limited access to banking services across the country.
The issue surfaced after a social media post alleged that a customer was denied the use of MoMo at an MTN outlet. In response, the company said it launched an internal investigation, which confirmed the allegation and traced the rejection to a third-party vendor operating within MTN premises.
In a statement released on Thursday, MTN South Sudan apologised to the affected customer and said corrective action had been taken against the vendor responsible for the incident.
“MoMo is accepted at all MTN touchpoints nationwide. We remain committed to ensuring this does not happen again,” the company said.
MTN said the clarification was necessary to address public concern, protect customer confidence, and reaffirm its commitment to expanding digital financial services, particularly as mobile money increasingly serves as a substitute for cash in a cash-constrained economy.
MoMo, MTN’s flagship mobile money platform, enables users to send and receive money, pay bills, purchase airtime and data, and conduct a wide range of transactions directly from their mobile phones, without relying on traditional banking infrastructure.
The service has become an essential financial tool for millions of South Sudanese who lack access to banks or face withdrawal limits, especially as cash shortages continue to disrupt salaries, trade, and everyday transactions.
According to MTN, MoMo currently serves more than one million active users in South Sudan and facilitates daily transactions worth over SSP 9 billion, positioning it as one of the country’s most widely used digital financial platforms and a core pillar of the national digital payments ecosystem.
To encourage wider adoption, MTN said it is offering MoMo users a 25 percent bonus on airtime and data purchases, as well as double entries into its ongoing “Shukran Junubin” promotion, which features prizes valued at more than SSP 400 million through December.
The company urged customers to report similar incidents through its call centre, WhatsApp, or social media platforms, stressing that user feedback is essential for enforcing standards and improving service delivery across its agent network.
The incident also highlights structural challenges facing South Sudan’s digital payment ecosystem, where agent-level non-compliance, inconsistent enforcement, and low trust continue to undermine adoption, even when digital platforms are officially recognised.
In July, the Bank of South Sudan formally declared mobile money a fully recognised and legal form of payment, a move aimed at easing business transactions as the country grapples with a prolonged cash crisis.
The central bank said the decision was a key pillar of its 2023–2027 strategic plan, which aims to increase mobile money usage among adults to 30 percent by 2027, expanding access to affordable and inclusive digital financial services, particularly for underserved communities.
Despite policy backing and growing user numbers, adoption remains uneven. Many businesses — including some telecom agents — continue to reject digital payments, reinforcing public skepticism and highlighting the gap between national digital finance policy and on-the-ground implementation.
Analysts say sustained enforcement, agent accountability, and interoperability across banks and mobile money platforms will be critical if mobile money is to function as reliable digital public infrastructure rather than a parallel system vulnerable to breakdowns at the last mile.
