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VendTek Systems Inc., a company that develops and licenses automated transaction system software and supporting technologies, announced that Ghana’s Agoo mobile has signed it as the technology partner in the country.

According to a press release, VendTek is going to offer its e-Fresh SaaS (News - Alert) solution to Ghana’s Agoo Mobile LTD. Agoo Mobile has paid a deposit and VendTek expects to launch by year-end.

According to VendTek, its SaaS solution allows its partners to leverage their existing operations, infrastructure and core competencies in providing the mobile top-up services. Under the partnership with Agoo, the SaaS solution will be taking advantage of devices that can use the Internet to connect securely to the Company's North American servers. These devices include POS terminals that use a cellular data connection, mobile phones and PC's running eFresh PC software.

VendTek’s e-Fresh software will help Agoo to build electronic, prepaid services networks to enable consumers to purchase prepaid products and services via POS and self-serve terminals connected to a central server. Of nearly 18 million mobile subscribers in Ghana, 95 percent of mobile phone subscriptions in Africa are prepaid.

Depending on the extent of the services provided, VendTek will charge a license fee to those customers using its SaaS offering in line with its traditional licensing arrangements, in a press release, VendTek said while explaining how its SaaS model works.

“We are very pleased to be working with Agoo Mobile. This is the third SaaS customer we have partnered with this year in Africa. Africa is also a compelling market for the adoption of our new e-Wallet technology,” president and CEO of VendTek Doug Buchanan noted in a statement.

According to some estimate, mobile penetration in Africa has risen from just five percent in 2003 to well over 50 percent today. Ghana is a good case in point. The country has a population of 25 million with 17.4 million being the mobile phone subscribers. There has been a sharp increase in the volume of mobile phone usage in Africa over the past five years. The countries that contributed to this industry growth include Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania and Cote d'Ivoire. According to industry estimates, there is still potential for enormous growth. The Ghana Business News report states that the increase in the number of mobile cellular subscriptions over the last five years has defied all predictions and Africa remains the region with the highest mobile growth rate.

In an attempt to graduate from the physical scratch cards system, Agoo Mobile was created with the target of building out a network of distribution points within Ghana for the electronic delivery of top up mobile recharge. “This is part of the growing trend in the region to move away from physical scratch cards. We are pleased to have selected VendTek as our technology partner in this endeavor and we expect to reach 5,000 distribution points in 24 months.” Chairman of Agoo Mobile Kojo Bonsu explained in a statement.

It will be noteworthy that VendTek has deployed its software around the world including Canada, United States, Asia, the Middle East and Africa

Earlier this month, VendTek Systems Inc. announced that the company has partnered with ezetop (News - Alert), LLC to offer international top up for the Canadian market.