Accra Academy

Accra Academy

Accra Academy SHS (Senior High School) is a public boys’ high school located in Bubiashie, a suburb of Accra, Ghana. The school was established in 1931 and has since become one of the top-performing schools in the country.

Accra Academy is known for its academic excellence and has produced several prominent alumni in various fields. The school’s academic program is structured around six subject areas, including English, mathematics, science, social studies, technical and vocational education, and French.

Aside from academics, Accra Academy also offers a variety of extracurricular activities, including sports, music, drama, and debate. The school has a strong reputation for its football team, which has won several national and regional championships.

Accra Academy has a strong emphasis on discipline and offers a structured environment to ensure that students remain focused on their academic and personal development. The school’s motto is “Scientia Potestas Est,” which translates to “Knowledge is power.”

In recent years, Accra Academy has continued to make strides in improving its facilities and academic programs to meet the needs of its students. The school has also implemented several initiatives aimed at promoting a more inclusive and diverse learning environment.

Overall, Accra Academy SHS is a highly respected institution that has played an important role in shaping the education landscape in Ghana.

6 Facts about ecommerce for businesses

Ecommerce has become an essential part of modern business, especially on the rise during the pandemic. Many businesses have started to shift their focus towards online sales and are exploring the various options that ecommerce offers. In this article, we will explore six essential facts about ecommerce that every business should be aware of.

6 Facts about ecommerce for businesses

Here are the 6 facts about ecommerce for businesses:

Ecommerce sales are growing rapidly

Ecommerce sales have been growing rapidly over the past decade, and the trend is expected to continue. In 2020, ecommerce sales in the United States increased by 44% from the previous year, reaching a total of $861 billion.

Mobile commerce is on the rise

Mobile commerce, or m-commerce, refers to ecommerce transactions conducted on mobile devices. With the widespread use of smartphones and tablets, m-commerce is becoming increasingly popular. In fact, in 2020, 73% of all ecommerce sales in the US were made on mobile devices.

Social media is a key ecommerce platform

Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest are increasingly being used as ecommerce platforms. In fact, in 2020, over 80% of Instagram users reported that they use the platform to research products and services, and nearly two-thirds of users reported that they have made a purchase on Instagram.

Personalization is important in ecommerce

Personalization is becoming increasingly important in ecommerce, as customers expect tailored recommendations and experiences. In fact, a study found that 80% of shoppers are more likely to make a purchase from a company that offers personalized experiences.

Payment security is crucial

Payment security is crucial in ecommerce, as customers are increasingly concerned about the safety of their personal and financial information. Businesses that offer secure payment options, such as encrypted payment gateways and two-factor authentication, are more likely to earn the trust of customers.

Shipping and delivery options are key

Shipping and delivery options are key considerations for ecommerce customers, as they want their purchases to arrive quickly and reliably. Businesses that offer fast and affordable shipping options, as well as flexible delivery options like same-day or in-store pickup, are more likely to attract and retain customers.

Conclusion

In conclusion, ecommerce for businesses is a rapidly growing industry. Businesses need to take it seriously. By understanding the importance of mobile commerce, social media, personalization, payment security, and shipping and delivery options, businesses can take the necessary steps to stay ahead of the competition and provide their customers with the best possible online shopping experience.

Payment Gateways – Types + How it works

Payment gateways perform an important role in processing and authorizing the payments or transactions between merchant and customers. Payment gateway encrypt important information and details of payment such as credit cards number. It is to guarantee that the information is passed securely between customer and merchant.

How does Payment Gateways work?

We will explain how a payment gateway works. Lets make it more simple to understand of how payment gateways work.

Step 1 – A customer will place an order on the website by submitting the order, checkout form the cart or any equivalent button.

Step 2 – Merchant securely transfer order information the payment gateway. Customers will pay with their preferred payment method. The transaction is then routed to the issuing bank or the 3D secure page to request transaction authentication.

Step 3 – After the authentication process is successful, the transaction is then authorized or declined (depending on the funds available in the customers account) by the issuing bank or card (VISA, MASTERCARD, MAESTRO, RUPAY, AMERICAN EXPRESS).

Step 4 – Payment gateway sends a message to the merchant accordingly.

Step 5 – The bank settles the payment with payment gateway and then the payment gateway settles the money to the merchant.

When using payment gateway, there are 3 important things they do when customer wants to make purchase from merchant’s website. It is either by credit card, debit card, online netbanking or cash. The 3 important things are included authorization, settlement and reporting.

Some Payment Gateways have developed Inteperobilty Settlements for African countries using Mobile Money payments.

Payment gateway providers also provide merchants with other benefits such as a virtual terminal that can help receiving payment in physical outlets through the same methods of payment.

Payment Gateways – Types

There are a number of payment gateways that are providing services to different businesses. Onre of the leading payment gateway is Stripe. It is globally present and has all the basic pre-requisites an ideal payment gateway needs. It is secure with PCI-DSS and has 128 SSL encryption.

One very common thing about vaious types of payment gateways is that they are country specific in terms of operations. Some payment gateways work only in specified countries. It is important that you take note of the most secure and readily available payment gateway in your country.

What are the types of payment gateway system?

There are 4 types of payment gateway:

  • Hosted payment gateway
  • Self-hosted payment gateway
  • API hosted payment gateway
  • Local bank integration gateway

Read more about “Types of Payment Gateways – The top 4“.

Choosing a Secure Payment Gateway

You should first have a clear understanding of what separates a good payment gateway from a bad one. From many perspectives, the following are some essential characteristics of an excellent payment solution:

1. Security

Users’ payment details must be stored as secure as necessary. Setting the breach chance to near-zero level is a must. Otherwise, the merchant will lose its customers’ trust in one moment. A PCI-DSS Compliance suffices for this purpose. No matter your project is a play or real, do your best to make it as secure as it is possible.

2. Fast processing

The processing time of payments is a critical feature for a wide range of businesses. Slow processing leads to high abandon rates among users. For your project, which highly likely will be rather simple, the processing speed won’t be a challenge.

3. Low fees

Today’s businesses generally have low margins due to high competitiveness. The lowest possible fee level is a total must, while the highest costs mean great dissatisfaction from users. As you can see, this point doesn’t matter in your case.

4. Proper documentation and friendly support

The biggest complaints from the developers here are the poor documentation and the inadequate assistance. These two problems lengthen the integration process, increase its cost, and frequently degrade its quality. Also, you should consider documentation as a developer whether or not it will result in a practical business solution.

5. Fewer bugs

The more bugs a specific payment system has, the more issues your customers will face. Moreover, bugs in the payments sometimes cause massive financial losses. Believe me, there are hordes of different payment systems globally, which are crowded with bugs. Please do not create another one!

6. Resistance to chargebacks

If the chargebacks become a regular thing, the business will face heavy losses. It’s right for declined transactions too. This part may be quite hard for you to implement as it requires real experience, understanding of patterns of users’ behavior, as well as historical data on how chargebacks occurred.

7. Mobile-friendliness

Mobile payments are trendy across the globe. If your payment solution is incompatible with mobile devices, in most cases, your customers will ignore your tool. As you are focusing on web development only, it’ll be quite hard for you to make something more than just an adaptive web version.

8. Stable sandbox

Do not force your customers to test the solution using real payments. It may lead to losses and massive dissatisfaction. At the same time, it may be rather hard for you alone to arrange functional, integration, performance, and security tests.

9. Compatibility over time

Software programs occasionally get updates and new features. Even though some of the libraries it uses have undergone major change, the payment system should continue to operate following these modifications. Of course, without a development team, and taking a few days off for maintenance.

Conclusion

By using a payment gateway, it puts the control of business payment acceptance into your hands hence raising the power to grow right through your fingertips. At checkercards.com we secure payments of customers using payment gateways. However, we sometimes adhere to traditionala direct deposits especially upon request and preference of customers.

Types of Payment Gateways – The top 4

Types of Payment Gateways – The top 4

Due to the effectiveness and simplicity of rapid payments, secure transfers, credibility, and other beneficial features, businesses today have switched from traditional payment systems (such as direct bank transfers or cash) to online payment gateways. How many different payment gateways are there? What are the benefits and drawbacks of a payment gateway?

As shown in the article “Payment Gateways – Types + How it works“, there are 4 types of payment gateways:

  • Hosted payment gateway
  • Self-hosted payment gateway
  • API hosted payment gateway
  • Local bank integration gateway

On Checker Cards website, it especially uses a self-hosted payment gateway.

Top 4 Types of Payment Gateways

Here are the 4 different payment gateway types, each with advantages and disadvantages;

Hosted payment gateway

Hosted payment gateway direct your clients away from the checkout page on your site. When the client clicks the link of gateway, they are redirected to the Payment Service Provider (PSP) site. The user fills out his or her payment information here; and the customer is routed back to your website to complete the checkout process after the buying process.

Advantages:

  • Secure – Transaction is Fully PCI compliant and defended by the fraud protection system
  • Easy – This type of payment gateway is common to most users, simple to use and easy to install
  • Customize

Disadvantages:

  • The merchant cannot monitor the entire customer’s purchasing experience because of the external payment gateway factors.

2. Self-hosted payment gateways

In this form of gateway, the payment information inside the merchant’s website is gathered from the user. Upon requesting the information the collected data will be sent to the URL of the payment gateway. Many gateways need a particular format for the payment data, while others need a hash key or a hidden key.

Advantages:

  • Great customer service – completing the whole transaction in one location
  • Customisable flow – the merchant can monitor the payment journey

Disadvantages:

  • No support system – Self-hosted payment gateways do not typically have a technical support team. If anything fails, you’ll need to find out how to fix the problem by yourself. And you can employ an accomplished specialist who may be expensive.

3. API hosted payment gateways

Customers input their credit or debit card details directly on the merchant’s checkout page with API hosted payment gateways. Payments are handled using API (Application Programming Interface) or HTTPS queries.

Advantages:

  • Customisable – has complete oversight of the payment journey’s customer experience and UI
  • Integrative capable – can be used for mobile devices, laptops, etc.

Disadvantages:

  • Security – Compliance with PCI DSS and purchasing SSL certification are the requirement that merchants have to strictly follow

4. Local bank integration gateways

Local bank integration gateways redirect the customer to the website of the payment gateway (the website of the bank), where they input their payment information and contact information. The customer is redirected back to the merchant’s website after making the payment, with payment notification data sent upon redirection.

Advantages:

Quick and easy to install – good for small businesses requiring a simple one-time payment system

Disadvantages:

Basic features only – usually do not allow returns or repeated payments, so it’s not suitable for wholesalers

Conclusion

Above all, each form of payment gateway has pros and cons of its own. The payment gateway you choose depends depend on your business strategy, the services you require, and how much control you desire over your customers’ payment experiences.

For online businesses and wholesalers today, a self-hosted payment gateway would be the most seamless platform. because it gives the merchant control over the consumer experience and enables the customer to complete a single page transaction.

How to get School Placement Release update

How to get School Placement Release update

The Ghana Education Service (GES) announced that preparations are ongoing for the release of the 2022 School Placement. School Placement Release update & how to get it.

Once all preparations are complete, the School Placement Portal will be opened and available for candidates who sat for BECE 2022.

As at now, there is no fixed date for the release of 2022 school placement. However it is certain that the schools will be released on or before February 17, 2022. Prior to the release GES will make a statement.

How to get School Placement Release update

After the release you will have to buy a School Placement Checker to check the school you were placed to. Buy School Placement Checker on backorder now and it will be sent to you as soon as the schools are released.

———-> School Placement Checker <———-

School Placement Release Update: Once you buy the School Placement Checker on back order, it will be sent to you as soon as the schools have been released.

You will be among the first people to check their schools.

How to buy School Placement Checker Cards with MoMo

Here are the simple steps on how to buy a School Placement Checker card online;

1. Visit Checker Cards website: https://www.checkercards.com/

2. Select School Placement Checker you want to buy.

If you use the links above, you will skip steps 1 & step 2.

3. Select the number of cards you want to buy.

4. Click on “Buy Now” button.

5. Fill in the details by adding your First nameLast namePhone number and E-mail address.

6. Scroll down and click on “Proceed To Payment”.

7. Select “Pay with Mobile Money” and enter your MoMo number.

8. Click on “Confirm”.

9. Approve payment on your phone by entering your Mobile Money Pin.

Alternatively, you may pay with your credit card. In Step 7. Select “Pay with Card” to make payment using your credit/debit card.

You will receive a Serial/Voucher and a PIN to check your School Placement.