Mastercard and Access Bank Ghana have unveiled a groundbreaking youth-focused card under the bank’s AccessU proposition, designed to empower Ghanaians aged 13 to 40 with customized financial tools that evolve with their life stages and ambitions. This innovative partnership aims to drive financial literacy, digital inclusion, and youth empowerment across the country.
The AccessU proposition is structured into three key life stages—teens, young professionals, and middle-established professionals—each offering tailored financial solutions to support users’ specific needs and aspirations.
For teenagers, the program introduces a prepaid or reloadable debit card enhanced with parental controls, expense tracking, and scheduled allowances. It is geared toward building early financial literacy, encouraging budgeting and saving habits. Users also benefit from discounts on gaming, streaming services, and educational platforms.
As users transition into young adulthood, the offering adapts to include both a debit card and an entry-level credit card, employing soft credit scoring to support first-time borrowers. Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) features are integrated for e-commerce, travel, and tech purchases. Young professionals will also enjoy exclusive rewards on subscriptions and investment-backed cashback cards to encourage wealth-building.
For middle-established professionals, the package expands further to include premium debit and credit cards with enhanced benefits in travel, lifestyle, career development, and health insurance. It also introduces business and SME-linked corporate cards for entrepreneurs and professionals navigating the business world.
“This launch reflects our shared commitment with Access Bank Ghana to shape a more financially confident and digitally included generation,” said Folasade Femi-Lawal, Country Manager and Area Business Head for West Africa at Mastercard. “By embedding financial literacy and secure digital tools from an early age, we are empowering Ghana’s youth to grow into financially responsible adults while also giving families peace of mind and contributing to a more inclusive digital economy.”
Pearl Nkrumah, Executive Director of Retail and Digital Banking at Access Bank Ghana, emphasized the initiative’s forward-looking impact: “Our youth are not just the future, they are the now. Through our collaboration with Mastercard, we are not just offering banking solutions to young people, but we are enhancing their job market readiness, creating recruitment opportunities, empowering young entrepreneurs, and equipping them to achieve their dreams and impact Ghana and the rest of the world.”
The launch is timely for Ghana, where nearly 57% of the population is under 25. By offering relevant financial tools at critical developmental stages, Mastercard and Access Bank are tackling the country’s financial inclusion gap and helping to cultivate a generation that is both financially empowered and digitally capable.
The new card will be available through Access Bank’s branch network and digital platforms. The initiative also opens doors for fintechs, merchants, and educational providers to engage more meaningfully with Ghana’s youth.
Beyond enhancing banking access, this partnership reinforces Access Bank’s image as a youth-centric, future-forward institution and highlights Mastercard’s continued dedication to expanding financial inclusion across Africa.
Together, they are setting a new standard for how financial institutions can help shape the financial future of young people in a digital-first economy.
