Speaking on JoyFM’s Personality Profile with Lexis Bill, Mrs Kwofie described her career transition into MTN as a moment guided by grace and fate.

“I like to believe. I call myself a product of grace,” she said. “The way the whole recruitment process happened… I believe the job was waiting for me.”

According to her, the journey began when a personal friend, who was also one of her auditors, unexpectedly requested her CV.

She stated that though she was not seeking new opportunities, she obliged, only to later discover the role was with MTN.

“I gave him my CV. I didn’t hear anything. Then someone else said MTN was still asking for my CV. Later, a headhunter from Kenya reached out. Then another one from the US. In all, no less than ten headhunters contacted me about the same MTN role.”

Despite the interest, Mrs Kwofie revealed that she was not called for an interview for a long time.

Eventually, the first person who had requested her CV informed her that MTN wanted to “have a chat.”

She said that casual chat turned out to be the beginning of a multi-stage vetting process involving the company’s Chief HR Officer, the CEO, the CEO’s boss, and even the group CFO.

“I didn’t prepare for any of them. I thought they were just chats. But when I got to the CEO’s boss, it felt like a real interview. I was in an air-conditioned room, but I was sweating,” she recalled with a laugh.

Following the last conversation, Mrs Kwofie said she did not hear anything for months and assumed she had been passed over, until a chance encounter at a funeral changed everything.

“I bumped into the Chief HR Officer. She said, ‘you’ll hear from us.’ I said, ‘I’ve forgotten about you people.’ But a few weeks later, they called and said, ‘You have the role. Let’s talk money.’”

Even then, she hesitated. Kwofie was in a comfortable banking role with promising prospects, including a secondment opportunity. But the idea of entering the FinTech space intrigued her.

“It was a tough decision. But I asked myself, where will I be in the next three years if I stay and where will I be if I go?”

The proposed changes, outlined in a shareholder circular published by the Ghana Stock Exchange today, May 2, 2025, will see the creation of a New FinCo, a separate entity that will eventually list on the Ghana Stock Exchange within three to five years.

The restructuring comes as a direct response to Ghana’s Payment Systems and Services Act of 2019, which requires electronic money issuers to maintain at least 30 per cent local ownership.

Currently, MML operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Scancom PLC, which itself achieved 30 per cent Ghanaian ownership through public trading on the GSE in September 2024.

Under the new structure, MML will merge into New FinCo, transferring all assets, liabilities, and employees to the newly incorporated Ghanaian company.

A trust mechanism will hold approximately 32.13 per cent of New FinCo on behalf of minority shareholders, ensuring compliance while maintaining their economic interests in the mobile money business. This arrangement will remain in place until New FinCo’s anticipated listing on the GSE, at which point shareholders will receive direct ownership stakes.

The company stressed that the transition will be tax-neutral for shareholders, with costs shared between Scancom PLC, New FinCo, and MTN Group.

The circular invited shareholders to attend an Extraordinary General Meeting on May 21, 2025, at the Accra International Conference Centre, with virtual participation available.

While the meeting is informational only and requires no shareholder vote, it represents an important opportunity for investors to understand the implications of the restructuring.

The company confirmed the incident in a media release issued on 28 April 2025, stating that although its platforms remain fully operational, a forensic investigation is underway to determine the full extent of the breach.

According to MTN, early indications show that the affected customers’ data may have been compromised. The company said it would contact customers directly as part of its response efforts.

MTN assured the public that the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of its systems remain central to its operations.

The company noted that it is working closely with leading cybersecurity experts and has devoted significant resources to contain and manage the incident.

Customers have been advised to remain vigilant by updating mobile and banking applications, using strong passwords, enabling multifactor authentication, and avoiding the disclosure of sensitive information such as passwords, PINs, and OTPs through phone calls, text messages, or emails.

MTN added that customers concerned about potential fraud may place alerts on their credit reports with major credit bureaus as a precautionary measure.

The company emphasised that safeguarding customer information remains a top priority and pledged to continue providing updates as the investigation progresses.

MTN encouraged affected and concerned customers to contact its support team through the toll-free number 100 for further information.

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This donation held on Friday, August 2 is part of MTN Ghana’s efforts to celebrate and preserve the rich cultural heritage of the Ada people.

Regional Sales Manager, Francis Gyan, led the MTN team to present the cheque of GH¢ 15,000.00 and other items to the Ada Traditional Council in support of the 2024 Asafotufiami festival.

“In demonstrating our continued commitment towards the celebration of Ada Asafotufiami festival, we are here to present cheque of GH¢ 15,000.00, MTN Airtime worth GH¢ 1,000.00, A drinks hamper. To provide a distinct customer experience during the celebration, MTN will set up experience centers at vantage points.”

He noted that MTN will set up its experience centers at strategic locations during the festival to provide a unique customer experience and address customer issues.

During the visit, Francis took the opportunity to brief the council on the ongoing network upgrade initiatives.

“We also want to use this opportunity to inform the Traditional Council that MTN Ghana is upgrading the network across the country. The network upgrade started in June 2024 and is expected to end in August 2024.  The upgrade involves the replacement of existing mobile network infrastructure with more efficient and environmentally friendly equipment.”

“MTN’s donation today affirms our appreciation for your support, patronage, and loyalty to MTN,” Mr Gyan stated.

“We thank you once again for your continued support of our activities and the warm reception we have received. We look forward to a memorable Asafotufiami and wish you all a happy festive season,” he added.

Nene Agudey Obitchere III, Manklalo of Ada, received the donation and expressed their appreciation to MTN for our consistent support over the years.

The Council also thanked the team for keeping them informed about the network upgrade.

According to the Summary of May 2024 Market Activities, the top price gainers for the month were New Gold (12.61%), GCB Bank (8.06%), MTN Ghana (2.86%),  and TotalEnergies (1.58%).

The GSE Composite Index gained 1.81% in May to record a new all-time high of 3,753.69 points, bringing its year-to-date gain to 19.92%.

The GSE Financial Stock Index also recorded a 0.41% increase, resulting in a year-to-date gain of 7.95%.

Following its listing in May 2024, Atlantic Lithium added GH¢2.85 billion to increase the value of all stocks listed on the markets to GH¢84.02 billion by the end of the month.

Meanwhile, the GSE’s Fixed Income Market saw traded volumes of 10.39 billion during May 2024, doubling the volume traded in May 2023.

Treasury Bills accounted for 74.53% of volumes traded, whilst Government Bonds contributed 24.70%, with Corporate Bonds making up the remaining 0.77%.

The value of all securities on the market stood at GH¢328 billion at the end of the month.

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This decision is part of MTN’s strategy to lead digital solutions in Ghana and aligns with the Government of Ghana’s digitalisation agenda.

In a statement released by the company, MTN Ghana informed customers and trade partners that unused scratch cards will not be rechargeable after July 1, 2024.

However, customers can redeem the value of their scratch cards via Credit transfer (EVD) at any MTN Customer Experience Centre.

Customers are encouraged to continue using existing digital channels such as MoMo, Ayoba, and the myMTN app to recharge. As an incentive, customers will receive a 50% bonus on all recharges done via Mobile Money.

Samuel Addo, Chief Sales and Distribution Officer of MTN Ghana
“The phasing out of the scratch cards is one of the avenues to help us protect the environment, empower customers to drive digital usage, and make customer service delivery more efficient,” said Samuel Addo, the Chief Sales and Distribution Officer of MTN Ghana.

In line with MTN’s sustainability strategy, the company is implementing several initiatives to reduce its environmental footprint, including waste reduction programs, water conservation measures, and other energy-saving initiatives.

This move underscores MTN’s commitment to environmental sustainability and digital innovation, aiming to create a more efficient and eco-friendly customer service experience.

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The acquisition took place during the Executive Launch and unveiling of the Asantehene Commemorative Stamps at the Otumfuo Osei Tutu II Jubilee Hall in the Manhyia Palace.

The auctioned stamp was made of pure gold.

This historic event marked the introduction of the Asantehene crypto stamp, making it the first of its kind in Africa.

Notably, it also holds the distinction of being the first crypto stamp in the world dedicated to commemorating a monarch.

The Asantehene’s postal stamp will be utilized in 156 countries across the globe.

Meanwhile, The Gamashie Mantse, Nii Tackie Teiko Tsuru II was a special guest at the Executive Launch among other dignitaries.

Following extensive discussions with the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), EMIs were granted an extension until the end of Wednesday, January 31, 2024, to facilitate the linking process between agent accounts and either Ghana Cards or TINs.

Failure to complete this process by the stipulated deadline will result in the automatic blocking of agent accounts starting from February 1, 2024.

Throughout this initiative, affected agents have been directly contacted through various communication channels to ensure awareness of the impending changes.

A press release issued by the Telcos Chamber says it is the final call to action for agents who have not yet completed the linking process, urging them to take immediate steps to regularize their operations.

If an agent’s account is suspended on February 1, 2024, they will have the opportunity to visit any operator outlet with their Ghana Card or TIN to finalize the linking process and restore account functionality.

Recognizing the pivotal role of mobile financial services in promoting financial inclusion and driving economic growth, EMIs reaffirm their commitment to providing convenient, secure, and accessible financial services to all Ghanaians.

This move aligns with broader efforts to strengthen regulatory compliance within Ghana’s financial ecosystem, contributing to a more transparent and sustainable financial landscape.

For further information and assistance, affected agents are encouraged to reach out to their respective EMIs or visit operator outlets before the deadline.

This press release serves as a reminder of the impending deadline and underscores the importance of compliance with regulatory requirements for all stakeholders within Ghana’s financial sector.

MTN’s ‘Free After 1’ service was introduced a few years ago to allow customers to enjoy longer call periods after payment for the first minute of the call.

Customers can subscribe to the service by dialling *550# and selecting option 6, to activate ‘Free After 1 Extra’ and enjoy an uninterrupted call for 60 minutes and pay for the first 1 minute after every 10 minutes on a call.

With this new plan, Customers who subscribe will only pay for the first minute of a 10-minute call and will continue the call for up to an hour without any interruption.

This means that the customer will be charged one minute in blocks of 10 minutes. 

The Free After 1 Extra is an improvement on the Free After 1 plan which requires that the customer drops the call after every 10 minutes.

Chief Commercial Officer of MTN Ghana, Noel Kojo Ganson said, this enhanced plan was introduced based on customer feedback.

“We are confident that the newly introduced, ‘Free After 1 Extra’ service allows customers to stay connected and enjoy uninterrupted calls with their business associates, family, and loved ones.”

“Motivated by our belief that ‘Everybody deserves the benefits of a modern, connected life, we continue to create relevant offers for each customer category to meet their unique needs and preferences.”

MTN continues to drive customer satisfaction by leveraging technology to develop products and services that deliver value.

These services include Free After 1 Extra, MTN Pulse Mashup, MTN Jara amongst others.

On November 9, the High Court, Accra, (Commercial Di­vision) presided over by Justice Afi Agbanu Kudomor ruled that the GRA did not err in law when it imposed a Value Added Tax (VAT) liability on Scancom PLC for Imported Services between 2014 to December 2017.

This was after the MTN ap­pealed against the imposition of VAT liability at the high court.

Justice Kudomor held that “GRA did not err in law when it imposed National Health Insur­ance Levy and Ghana Education Trust Fund Levy (together with interest and penalties) on Scan­com PLC’s on their Imported Services from August 2018 to December 2018 irrespective of whether they were applied to Taxable or Exempt services.”

She said GRA did not act arbi­trarily when it applied the Ghana Educational Trust Fund Levy and National Health Insurance Levy each of 2.5 per cent on the imported services by Scancom PLC irrespective of whether Scancom PLC’s imported services were used to produce Taxable or Exempt supplies.

“It is for these reasons that the instant Tax Appeal fails. There will be no order as to costs, each party is to bear its own costs,” the court said in its judgement,” Justice Kudomor added.

In 2020, the GRA commenced a comprehensive tax audit on MTN Ghana, spanning the period January 2014 to December 2018.

The audit focused on all aspects of MTN’s businesses in­cluding Input VAT claims related to goods and services procured by MTN Ghana, VAT on services imported by the company and Input Value Added Tax claims related to office premises con­structed by the telecom giant.

Unhappy about the method at arriving at the tax liability, Scancom PLC sued GRA on the basis that GRA erred in law and acted arbitrarily by imposing the tax liability order on the company for the period January 2014 to December 2017.

Scancom PLC wanted the court reverse GRA’s decision to impose additional VAT of GH¢8,793,598 and penalty and interest of GH¢10,933,119 on imported services utilised by Scancom PLC for its telecommu­nication business.

They asked the court to reverse GRA’s decision to impose additional Ghana Education Trust Fund Levy and National Health Insurance Levy of GH¢6,379,483 and penalty and interest of GH¢2,566,124 on imported ser­vices utilised by Scancom PLC for its business.

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This move will result in a minimum increase of 15% across MTN Ghana’s entire range of offerings.

In a circular issued to customers on November 24, 2023, MTN attributed the upward adjustment to rising operational costs.

“Dear Valued Customer, kindly be informed that effective 28th November 2023, the prices of MTN products will be revised upwards due to increased operational costs. Continue enjoying our special offers on our network. Visit our website www.mtn.com.gh for more details. Thank you.”

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This was made known when the leadership of the GJA paid a courtesy call on the management of MTN Ghana at the Head office in Accra on Monday, September 18.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of MTN Ghana, Selorm Adadevoh assured the GJA of MTN’s preparedness to support the association due to its importance to business development.

“GJA is an important association and it’s important to us as a business. We look forward to collaborating with you”, the CEO emphasised.

He said the quality of journalism in the country is a priority to MTN Ghana, hence the need to renew the partnership in order to expand the frontiers of journalism in the country.

Senior Manager for Corporate Communications of MTN Ghana, Georgina Asare Fiagbenu emphasised the strong relationship MTN has with the media and enumerated activities/projects that MTN has undertaken with the media association to strengthen the bond.

She thanked GJA and the media for their support to MTN’s business over the years.

Chief Corporate Services and Sustainability Officer (CCSSO) of MTN Ghana, Adwoa Wiafe reiterated that MTN will continue to work with the GJA for mutual benefits and for the industry.

The GJA President Albert Kwabena Dwumfour expressed his appreciation to MTN for their support to the media and appealed to them to strengthen the relationship between the two institutions.

“One thing commendable is your support for GJA Awards. You have been with us through thick and thin”, Mr. Dwumfour stressed.

In this regard, the GJA President appealed to MTN to support this year’s GJA Awards as a headline sponsor.

The company’s competitive advantage creates a monopoly-like environment that allows it to either sell more or charge more for its product/service.

The durability of the company’s competitive advantage has to do with the consistency in the company’s growing net earnings, assets value, return on equity etc over the past years – at least for the last 10 years.

MTN Ghana’s durable competitive advantage is driven by its dominant market share of the country’s telecommunication industry, unique product/service offering and large investments into innovation.

Driven by its competitive advantage, MTN Ghana has steadily grown its net earnings, market capitalization since listing on the Ghanaian bourse, return on equity, earnings per share and total assets value.

Net earnings of MTN Ghana over the last five years – from 2018 to 2022 – has grown from GHS 754.6m ($65.7m) to GHS 2.85bn ($248.2m) representing a 277.68% (+27,768bps) increase in net earnings.

Assets value over the same five year period has grown from GHS 4.21bn ($366.6m) to GHS 22.06bn ($1.92bn). In percentage terms, this marks an increase of 423.99% (+42,399bps). This compares favourably to the lower but increased liabilities of the company from GHS 1.80bn ($156.7m) in 2018 to GHS 16.35bn ($1.42bn) which indicates a 808.33% (+80,833bps) rise in liabilities.

Return on Equity (ROE) has also steadily risen from 39.31% to 53.54% over the five year period.

Shares of MTN Ghana listed on the Ghanaian bourse has witnessed a 100% (+10,000bps) increase in share price gain (capital appreciation) within the first five year of its IPO in September 2018 when a share cost GHS 0.75 ($0.065) to GHS 1.50 ($0.13) at end-August 2023.
Therefore driving the market capitalization of the equity from GHS 9.7bn ($844.7m) in 2018 to GHS 18.43bn ($1.60bn) at end-2022.
The GSE-MTN price chart showing the performance of MTN equity over the last five years

Dividend yield and price earning ratio (P/E ratio) which measures the company’s income paid to shareholders as dividends and how the shareholders value the company’s ability to grow its income stream respectively, have been a bit volatile over the five year period but have generally outperformed the industry’s average. Growth in earnings per share (EPS) has on the other hand, experienced a continuous rise over the five year period.
This chart shows the consistent growth in the earnings per share and earnings yield of MTN since 2019 and further into 2025.

MTN Ghana given its long term competitive advantage outperforms peer telecommunication companies in frontier markets and around the world.

For instance, in dollar terms, Gross Profit Margin (TTM) for MTN Ghana is 84.6%, some 69.59% (+6,959bps) higher than the median Gross Profit Margin (TTM) of 49.89% for telecom companies around the world. It is also higher by 46.55% (+4,655bps) above the median 57.73% Gross Profit Margin of telecom companies operating in frontier markets.

This implies that, in terms of Gross Profit Margin, MTN Ghana has for the past twelve months performed better than almost half (49.89%) of telecom companies around the world and slightly more than half (57.73%) of telecom companies in frontier markets. Gross Profit Margin indicates how efficiently a company manages its costs and generates profit from its revenue. With a Gross
Profit Margin of 84.6%, MTN earns as gross profit 84.6 cents from every $1 revenue it makes.

Also in dollar terms, Net Profit Margin (TTM) for MTN Ghana is 27.62%, some 480.88% (+48,088bps) higher than the median 4.75% Net Profit Margin (TTM) for telecom companies around the world and 141.54% (+14,154bps) above the median 11.3% Net Profit Margin (TTM) for telecom companies in frontier markets.

This also implies that MTN Ghana for the past twelve months in terms of Net Profit Margin performs better than most telecom companies in frontier markets and around the world. MTN Ghana’s Net Profit Margin of 27.62% indicates that after accounting for its expenses including taxes, it earns as net profit 27.62 cents from every $1 revenue made.

Market Share and Shareholders

The company’s market share of the industry has steadily increased from around 46% in Q4 2015 to 66.6% at end-2022 with total subscriptions of 26.61 million out of the 40.04 million industry-wide subscriptions.

Vodafone, AirtelTigo and Glo follow with market shares of 18.82% (7.54m subscriptions), 13.95% (5.59m subscriptions) and 0.77% (0.31m subscriptions) respectively.

MTN also dominates the mobile data sector with 16.74m subscriptions representing 73.29% market share at end-2022 with Vodafone, AirtelTigo and Glo having 14.05% (3.21m subscriptions), 11.95% (2.73m subscriptions) and 0.70% (0.16m subscriptions) market shares respectively.

Risk to Competitive Advantage

The designation of MTN as a Significant Market Player (SMP) by the country’s telecom regulator, the National Communications Authority (NCA) poses a risk to the telecom giant’s competitive advantage. 

A breakup of MTN’s industry dominance by the NCA through the implementation of its SMP measures will negatively affect the company’s competitive advantage impacting its operations and hence profitability.

The impact of the SMP directive by the NCA is, however, expected to last in the short to medium term. In the long term, MTN Ghana is expected to regain industry dominance given the seemingly general preference for the yellow brand by subscribers underpinned by the company’s ability to introduce innovative products/services that attract subscribers.

The regulator has defended its decision to designate MTN Ghana as a SMP asserting it allows the NCA to impose certain regulations and measures on MTN to prevent abuse of its market power and ensure fair competition.

By implementing measures such as asymmetric interconnection rates, tariff parity, and technology neutrality, the NCA aims to promote competition among the telecoms in the country, encourage innovation, and protect consumers’ interests. These measures, the NCA argues, will enable the other telecom companies to compete effectively, offer sustainable pricing, and invest in improving service quality. 

Recommendation: Given its market dominance, increasing year-on-year profitability and long term competitive advantage, Ghanaian retail investors, institutional investors as well as Asset Management Firms are encouraged to include equities/shares of MTN Ghana in their investment portfolio.

To enjoy significant returns in the form of capital appreciation/gains (by several hundred percentage points) and higher dividends, investors are encouraged to adopt a long term horizon investment approach and hold MTN equities for the next 10, 15 and even 20 years. 

Data used in the write-up are sourced from EquityRT, a research-focused platform with global coverage on equities. 

The writer is certified by the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI), UK, and the Ghana Investment and Securities Institute (GISI). 

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Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), MTN Ghana, Ecobank Ghana, Absa, Asanko Gold, and the Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation (BOST) won big at the 2023 Project Management Excellence Awards.

The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) won the highly competitive Project Management Excellence, Project of the Year Award with their Kasoa BSP/ICC Project, with MTN bagging the runner up award.

It again won the State Organisation Project of the Year Award with the Power App Enhancement Project (EPEP).

The Capital Projects Group (CPG) of MTN came tops in the Project Management Excellence, Project Management Organisation of the Year Award Category, with ECG picking the runner up Award in this category.

The Prestigious Project Management Excellence, Telecom Project of the Year Award was also won by MTN, with the Anti-Money Laundering and Fraud Management Solution Project.

The Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation (BOST) won the coveted Project Management Excellence, Oil and Gas Project of the Year Award, with their Accra Plains Tanks Modernization Project.

Absa Bank won the Project Management Excellence, Bank Project of the Year Award with their Investment on Absa Mobile Banking Application Project.

The highly competitive IT Project of the Category saw a flex of IT Projects muscles among leading Corporate giants. In the end, Ecobank won the award with their Transformation Programme. MTN was the runner-up.  

With the construction of the Esaase Hospital (Bentefufuo Community Hospital), Asanko Gold won the Project Management Excellence, Mining Company Project of the Year Award.

Ing. Patrice Afenyo of ECG won the Project management Excellence, Project Manager of the Year Award, with the superior Project and Program management best practices that were exhibited throughout the entire Project life cycle of the MCC Compact II ECG Financial Operational Turnaround (EFOT)Projects.  Mr. Evans Abakah of MTN won the runner up ward in this category for the application of Project management best practices in the Management of Projects and Programmes.

The highly anticipated awards took place at the prestigious Royal Senchi Hotel and Resort in Akosombo. This year, the awards Organisers introduced three new categories, namely Project Management Excellence, IT Project of the Year Award, Project Management Excellence, Oil and Gas Project of the Year Award, and Project Management Excellence, Agricultural Project of the Year Award, expanding the total number of categories to 15.

The categories recognised outstanding achievements in various sectors, including Banking & Finance, Telecommunications, the Media, State organizations, Agriculture, Mining, NGOs, Manufacturing, Information Technology, Oil and Gas, Consultancy, and Education. Each category aimed to celebrate exceptional project management practices and recognize the individuals and organizations that contributed to their successful execution.

The 2023 Project Management Excellence Awards showcased the outstanding achievements and best practices employed by organizations in various sectors. The winners’ commitment to excellence and exemplary Project Management serves as an inspiration to the industry as a whole, demonstrating the impact of effective project management on successful outcomes.

The Board and leadership of the Project Management Institute, Ghana Chapter congratulated all winners and nominees in the various categories.

“Our appreciation goes to all members of the Chapter, all delegates, Speakers, Sponsors, the Planning Committee, our Media Partners, service providers and all other stakeholders who made this year’s edition of the National Project Management Conference and Project Management Excellence Awards a resounding success. We are hopeful that the 2024 edition will be even more exciting”.

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Effective from July 1, 2023, customers will experience an adjustment in fees for cash-out transactions exceeding a specific threshold.

MTN took the initiative to inform its customers about the upcoming modifications through an SMS circular.

According to the circular, cash-out transactions below GH₵2,000 will now be subject to a fee equivalent to 1% of the transaction amount.

However, for cash-out transactions equal to or exceeding GH₵2,000, a flat fee of GHS20 will be directly deducted from the customer’s wallet.

It is worth noting that the circular explicitly mentioned that customers should not pay any additional fees to Mobile Money agents. Instead, they are advised to utilize the “Momo” platform exclusively for their transactions.

Under the current fee structure, MTN charges a maximum fee of 1% for cash-out transactions up to GH₵1,000. Additionally, a fee of GH₵10 is applicable for all cash-out transactions surpassing GH₵1,000.

However, with the introduction of the new fee system, the 1% fee will only be levied on amounts below GH₵2,000, while the maximum fee has been doubled to GH₵20.

This is a major milestone in creating an enabling environment in furtherance of the financial inclusion agenda of both entities and the Government of Ghana.

The service went live on March 1, 2023, and is available to all Vodafone Cash and MTN Mobile Money customers.  

Customers of both networks can now make direct payments for goods and services at any MTN Mobile Money or Vodafone Cash enabled merchant point across the country.

Commenting on this development, Shaibu Haruna, the Acting Chief Executive Officer of MML indicated that “this important first step is in line with the MTN Group Ambition of developing the largest financial services platform in Africa.  

“We are deeply committed to building an all-inclusive payment ecosystem that provides a platform for all players to flourish. We look forward to partnering with other players in the market to leverage off our distribution network to offer their services to customers”.

Vodafone Cash’s Acting Mobile Financial Services Manager, Judith Adumua-Bossman, stated that “At Vodafone Cash, we believe that partnerships are key to expanding access to financial services for everyone.

“We are dedicated to creating innovative solutions that will help our customers better manage their financial goals. This is a truly historic moment for us, and this new feature underscores our commitment towards growing accessibility, convenience, and value for our customers.”

The MoU, signed at MWC Barcelona, is aligned with MTN’s Ambition 2025 strategy and Huawei’s Corporate Sustainability Development strategy, including its TECH4ALL initiative.

Leading digital solutions for Africa’s progress can only be achieved through the power of partnerships, said MTN Group Chief Sustainability & Corporate Affairs Officer Nompilo Morafo. Working with companies like Huawei, we can pool our technologies and expertise to drive greater access to connectivity, digital skills and greener and more sustainable solutions to the benefit of all.

Li Peng, Member of the Huawei’s Supervisory Board and President of the Carrier BG, said Huawei expects to work closely with MTN Group on rural coverage, reaching net zero and digital skills training: We believe that digital technology will become an important force driving social development and making the world more inclusive and sustainable.

The Huawei DigiTruck provides free training in digital skills for those in need, including rural communities, the elderly, the unemployed, and girls and women in particular. Converted from a used shipping container mounted on a truck, the DigiTruck is a solar-powered mobile classroom equipped with laptops, smartphones and 4G connectivity.

It is complemented by the Huawei ICT Academy, which trains university students in ICT skills such as 5G, cloud computing and AI. There are 1 900 Huawei ICT Academies in 110 countries, serving around 150 000 students a year.

MTN’s Skills Academy seeks to enhance the link between digital skills training and demand for jobs to ensure that people across the continent are producers, consumers and innovators of digital technologies.

Today’s partnership agreement seeks to accelerate efforts to reach more rural and remote communities and to broaden the portfolio of available digital skills training.

With a significant portion of Africa’s population living in rural areas, MTN is committed to expanding our network to under-served communities and reach a target of 95% rural broadband coverage by 2025. The partnership with Huawei will support the achievement of this target as well as our approach to expand the number of collaborations and the types of partnership models we follow.

MTN and Huawei are collaborating on deploying RuralStar, an affordable connectivity solution for providing online access to remote and rural communities. The solution overcomes traditional barriers that make network connectivity in such scenarios unviable for carriers. The parties will extend their collaboration following the completion of the first RuralStar proof-of-concept in Ghana in 2017.

In terms of reducing carbon emissions, Huawei will support MTN’s commitment to minimise the impact on the planet and achieve net zero by 2040. The partners will work on decarbonising MTN’s telecommunications infrastructure, spanning radio access network (RAN) sites, transport networks, storage and data centres. Network decarbonisation will be done via a mix of energy efficiency technologies and the application of innovative green solutions.

The wallet transaction limit increase will facilitate efficient payments, encourage a greater seamless transition into a cash-lite society and promote more digital payments.

Customers with Daily Transaction Limits of ¢1,000, ¢5,000 and ¢10,000 have had their limits increased to ¢2,000, ¢10,000 and ¢15,000 respectively.

Additionally, account balance limits of ¢2,000, ¢15,000 and ¢30,000 have been increased to ¢3,000, ¢30,000 and ¢50,000 respectively.

Further to these increases, monthly transaction limits for customers with Medium and Enhanced KYC are limitless while customers with Minimum KYC have a limit of ¢6,000.

The Ag. CEO of Mobile Money Limited, Shaibu Haruna expressed his delight over the upward reviews approved by the BoG, following engagements to assess the possibilities of reviews to enhance digital payments and ultimately drive the Cash-lite agenda.

“Mobile Money Limited following the approval has gone ahead to implement the directives to ensure that our customers enjoy the convenience of doing various transactions such as Money Transfer, Bill Payments, receive Remittances, Buy Insurance, Buy Shares, Payment of school fees as well as general goods and services.

“We are calling on all customers to take advantage of the enhancement in wallet size to grow their transactions and improve their livelihoods”, he said.

The upward reviews have been activated for all MoMo subscribers. However, customers who require further enhancements to their wallet are required to provide any of the following documents:

• Utility Bill in customer’s name,
• Bank Statement,
• Registered Tenancy Agreement,
• Letter from your employer,
• Tax Certificate.

The document should be presented at any MTN Service Centre or engage MTN Ghana through its digital channels: Twitter: @MTNGhana or @AskMTNGhana; Facebook: MTN Ghana or WhatsApp: 0554300000.

Customers are advised to beware of the activities of fraudsters and report fraud issues by text to 1515 or  419.

The Minister was speaking at the announcement ceremony of the telecommunications giant as sponsor of the Black Stars at the GFA headquarters on Thursday, November 3, 2022. The one-year deal which takes immediate effect is worth $2M and would run until January 2024.

“This support is timely and will significantly boost the Black Stars preparations towards achieving our target of going all the way in Qatar,” the Yagaba-Kubore law maker said.

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“As I have often said, there is a direct correlation between corporate sponsorship and performance in sports and in this case, the Black Stars.

“Ghana’s historic qualification and performances at the FIFA World Cup since 2006 have largely been enhanced by the support of corporate Ghana. I am confident that this latest show of faith by MTN will motivate the team to Qatar and beyond.

“It is also important for this huge investment to be put to a judicious use so that it will make the desired impact on the team,” he added.

The Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation announced the mandatory registration of all SIM cards in Ghana.

The registration exercise, which started in October 2021, is scheduled to end on July 31, 2022.

Officials say MTN offices would be opened for business to attend to numerous customers who are yet to register their SIM cards on Saturday and Sunday.

Chief Sales and Distribution Officer of MTN Ghana, Shaibu Haruna, says registration agents are in markets, lorry parks and other strategic locations to help customers who need to register their SIM cards.

MTN is also assuring customers that its branches will work this Saturday and Sunday to attend to customers to register their SIM cards and also provide normal customer services.

 “We are encouraging all customers to comply with the SIM registration deadline of 31^st July 2022. We have expanded our agent network across the country to ensure that every customer with a valid National ID Card can conveniently register.

“Just look out for a registration agent near you and reach out for registration. For customers who are yet to link their Ghana cards to their SIM cards, we encourage you to do so using *404# to make the process smoother for you.”

He also revealed the company has provided a web portal to enable a lot more customers to register their SIM cards with ease aside from numerous physical registration points.

 “The MTN SIM registration web portal is a channel that can be used to expedite the registration, especially for customers with multiple SIM cards. We are urging our customers to take advantage of this portal to fast-track their registrations https://simregistrationportal.mtn.com.gh”.

To make it convenient and easy for customers who are yet to register, MTN is dedicating significant resources to the exercise.

MTN is offering 1GB data or 60 minutes of airtime as an incentive for customers to register before the 31^{st of} July deadline.

The initiative includes community activations, town and market storms, bus terminal activation and door-to-door activations.

This is to reduce the long queues at some of the service centers of the company as registration ends this week.

Agents of MTN Ghana have been deployed to major markets and communities in all 16 regions across the country as part of efforts to redirect traffic from the service centers.

Already MTN agents were at the various areas including Lapaz and Madina to register customers.

On Saturday July 30, they will be in New Town, Tema Community 1 and Ashiaman as they work around the clock to meet the July 31^st deadline given by the by the government through the National Communications Authority (NCA).

The SIM registration exercise which had an initial deadline of March 31, 2022, was extended to July 31, 2022.

The exercise is expected to develop and build a comprehensive SIM database, curb fraudulent activities and secure SIM Card based transactions, and get more accurate data to regulate the industry better.

As South Africa’s second- and third-largest mobile operators, if approved the deal would alter the competitive dynamics of the market substantially and would effectively create a duopoly in a market that currently benefits from a healthy level of rivalry between operators.

In the mobile segment, MTN’s position would improve dramatically.

Using the latest data (quarter 1, 2022) available from the operators, Fitch Solutions estimate that MTN’s market share would increase to 48.4% with the acquisition of Telkom’s 16.94 million subscribers it reported for the year ending March 2022. This would transform MTN into South Africa’s dominant operator, usurping the position of current market leader Vodacom.

“We estimate its market share currently sits at around 36.8%. As a result, South Africa’s mobile market would effectively approach duopoly status, with smallest MNO Cell C and the MVNOs unable to engage in meaningful competition with the primary players”, it added.

Demand for Telkom’s mobile services have shown consistent growth since the telco re-entered the mobile segment in 2010, and it was the only operator not to have recorded subscriber losses during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Telkom’s aggressive pricing strategy has served its growth accordingly and allowed it to secure subscribers at the expense of the other market players. Exposure to Telkom’s growth trajectory could reverse the volatile trend of customer acquisition and retention that MTN has faced over recent years.

MTN would also gain access to Telkom’s spectrum holdings, the primary appeal here being the latter’s 22MHz of spectrum in the 3.5GHz band that it acquired during the long-awaited 5G spectrum auction that occurred in March 2022.

Spectrum in the 3.5GHz band is critical for deploying 5G, Fitch Solutions said, and is therefore key to generating additional value in mobile operations, particularly at a time when robust competition has been driving down ARPUs.

Moreover, collecting Telkom’s spectrum would also give MTN superiority in terms of overall spectrum holdings after Vodacom emerged from the auction as the biggest spender.

It is my pleasure to welcome you to the 4th Annual General Meeting as a publicly listed company, to share with you the report of your company’s activities and business performance for the year ended
December 31, 2021.

2021 in review
2021 was a special year for MTN Ghana, as it marked 25 years of providing vital telecommunications and digital services to Ghanaians. During this period, MTN Ghana played its part in improving the lives of Ghanaians as well as enabling growth of businesses and the economy.

We commemorated the milestone by celebrating the loyalty and trust we have received from our valued customers, our people and all stakeholders including our trade partners, our technology partners, our business collaborators, our regulators and our media partners, who have made this journey possible.

We also commissioned three landmark projects in Health and ICT skills development as part of our corporate social investments as well as extending our scholarship program to support 300 students over three years into local tertiary institutions.

These initiatives reflect our commitment to the people of Ghana in the communities within which we
operate, to promote health, education and economic empowerment as part of our Corporate Social
Investments. To crown the year, we delivered strong financial results in line with our market guidance and achieved growth across our key business segments in a world that continued to be impacted by COVID-19.

Operational review
As the nation navigated through unprecedented times, we continued to demonstrate and live our ‘Can
Do’ value through sustained investments, sound operational execution and resilience in delivering continued growth in our core business during 2021. Service revenue grew by 28.5%, driven mainly by increased investment in the network and delivery of commercial initiatives which resulted in growth of our customer base and demand for our services. Our customers remained our key focus and we continued to invest in digitalising our customer support services and improving our flagship MyMTN app.

We improved our support as well as elevated the available self-service options. For example, MTN customers are now able to check their bills, look at call records and data spend and also seek help among other services on the MyMTN app.

We remained committed to truly putting the customer at the heart of the organisation to achieve high levels of advocacy, measured through our Net Promoter Score (NPS). The pandemic heightened our need to align our focus on addressing essential customer needs with empathy, care and concern. We enhanced our customer service resolution through a variety of different channels including our customer service digital channels and the use of social media to listen to and improve our understanding of customer sentiments.

The pandemic and ongoing changes in the world showed how critical connectivity and digital services are to society. We have seen demand for mobile connectivity grow rapidly every year and we continue to invest a significant amount of money in making our network even better. In 2021, we invested a total Capex of ¢1.5 billion supporting infrastructure modernisation, expansion of 4G population coverage to over 90.6% (+18.9pp) and improvements to the quality of service.

Improvements to network capacity and quality were made possible by rolling out 131 2G, 120 3G and 1,446 4G sites and modernising 2,121 existing 4G sites. We extended 4G network and data services to an additional 1.7 million people, deepening digital inclusion in Ghana.

Investments in the network and IT systems, coupled with the execution of our commercial strategy, enabled the expansion of the subscriber base by 1.0 million YoY to 25.4 million. These investments combined with changes in consumer usage patterns resulted in active data user growth of 15.3% YoY with a corresponding growth of 34.3% in megabytes consumed per active subscriber.

The growth in subscriber numbers, product enhancements and innovations around customer value management supported growth in voice revenue by 4.9% YoY to GHS2.6 billion. The contribution of voice to service revenue consequently declined from 41.8% to 34.1% YoY in favour of increased contributions from data and Mobile Money.

Data revenue grew by 56.3% YoY to GHS2.8 billion. This was a result of increased data traffic (+54.9%) owing to various commercial interventions, improvements to the network, changes in consumer usage
behaviour and an increased number of smartphones on the network (+10.6%). The contribution of data to service revenue increased from 29.6% to 36.0% YoY in line with our revenue diversification strategy.

Active MoMo users recovered from the challenges in H1 2021 to achieve a growth of 3.8% YoY. We expanded our MoMo distribution and footprint across the nation through the growth in active agents (+18.7% YoY). We also expanded merchants (+29.9% YoY) to bring our services much closer to our customers and to further enhance financial inclusion.

Growth in Mobile Money advanced service offerings such as retail merchant payments, micro loans, insurance and international remittances supported an increase in Mobile Money revenue by 38.2% YoY to GHS1.7 billion. The contribution of Mobile Money to service revenue increased from 20.9% to 22.5% YoY.

Enhancements were made to allow the sale of airtime to all other operators on our MoMo service on USSD and MyMTN app, as part of our intent to achieve MoMo universality in the ecosystem. We further enhanced the integration of Mobile Money service into our ayoba super app, and this helped drive customer experience and transactional activity on the super app.

Digital revenue declined by 5.1% YoY to GHS0.2 million. During the period we embarked on a cleanup of our digital products and services to enhance customer experience and rationalization of our digital products portfolio, improved our digital messaging channels and added more value to our music and gaming offerings to meet the entertainment needs of our customers. These helped grow our active digital subscribers by 1.1 million to 4.2 million in the period.

We continued to drive operational efficiency in the business. This helped support a 33.7% YoY growth in EBITDA and margin expansion of 2.3pp to 55.0%. Profit after tax increased by 43.5% YoY.

Management changes
Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to announce that, in October 2021, Antoinette Kwofie joined MTN Ghana as Chief Finance Officer (CFO) from Absa Bank Ghana, where she held the role of CFO for more than eight years. The management team also gained a new member in the person of Shaibu Haruna, who is our Chief Sales and Distribution officer.

Shaibu has decades of experience in sales and leadership roles and we are pleased to have him as part of the team. While we had great additions to the team, our Chief Corporate Services Officer, Samuel Koranteng, retired from active duty. I want to wish him the very best and announce that Nana Kofi Asare (who is our Senior Manager, Legal) will act in this role until a replacement is appointed. I wish them all the very best in their respective roles and endeavours.

Looking ahead
In 2022, our areas of focus include improving customer experience across all services and regions to further enhance subscriber growth and usage of our services. We also plan to expand our 4G / 4G+ service by implementing 4G everywhere you go (i.e., 4G on every site) by the end of 2022 and scale up efforts in the digitalisation journey with a focus on MyMTN and the ayoba super app. Mobile Money ecosystem expansion will also be a key focus for us through innovations in advanced services and work to deepen the penetration of MoMo users within the base.

We forecast service revenue growth in the high teens (in percentage terms) over the medium-term from the previous guidance of 13% to 15%. In addition, we will progress the execution of the expense efficiency programme and our prudent approach to managing costs to deliver on our commitment to margin expansion.

Execution of our Ambition 2025 strategy will continue, as we seek to build a platform business that enables broader digital ecosystem acceleration. We expect to make considerable progress on localisation of Scancom PLC and its subsidiary, MobileMoney Limited.

Conclusion
As I conclude, I would like to note my appreciation to the management and employees of MTN Ghana for their tireless efforts, and the great sacrifices made to ensure we deliver on the set targets. I am confident about the opportunities that lie ahead of us and I look forward to your continued support to steer MTN Ghana to greater heights in the years to come.

On behalf of the staff of MTN Ghana, I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to the Board of Directors for their continued guidance and support and for the many challenges, they have helped us navigate positively.

I also wish to thank our customers, strategic partners, government, regulators and you, our shareholders, for your continued faith in the leadership and strategy of MTN Ghana.

Thank you, please stay safe and God bless us all.

The event held on Wednesday April 27, 2022 is part of activities to celebrate International Girls in ICT Day which is on the theme:’access and safety’.

This is a day is set aside to motivate young girls to study Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and encourage them to consider careers in the growing field of ICT.

As a company committed to training more girls in the male dominated field, MTN Ghana in collaboration with Mobile Web trained young girls in cyber security.

The event brought together 60 young girls drawn from the Ebenezer Methodist Junior High School (JHS) and the Kwabenya Senior High School (SHS). They were taught the importance of staying safe online.

Speaking at the event, Economic Empowerment Adviser at the MTN Ghana Foundation, Mrs. Cynthia Mills underscored the need for young girls to be educated on safety when using online tools.

According to her, in wake of social media, they need safe and reliable access to the internet and digital tools.

The aim of the event, Mrs. Mills stated is to enlighten the girls and empower them to know what they can do to take care of themselves when on the internet.

Also, Director of Mobile Web Ghana, Florence Toffa commended MTN for the initiative.

She said it is important to train young girls about the dangers on the internet so that they can stay protected.

Madam Toffa charged the girls not to give out sensitive information or passwords to people they meet online.

“Don’t give out information, numbers, and personal details to people that you don’t know. It will be very helpful for your development” she added.

For her part, Superintendent Sophia Eva Anim from the Former Police Unit [FPU]) charged beneficiaries of the event to always look out for red flags when interacting with people on social media.

She said anytime young girls feel threatened, scared, or feel someone has bad intentions about them, they should immediately walk away.

Superintendent Sophia Eva Anim urged the girls not to advertise their bodies, especially private parts on social media.

In this regard, MTN Ghana and Vodafone Ghana have entered a strategic partnership to pilot national roaming in the Volta Region as a first step to a broader nationwide national roaming partnership.

This agreement will see Vodafone Ghana expand coverage of its network by leveraging MTN’s network infrastructure in this pilot phase.

National roaming implementation in Ghana is intended to facilitate universal access and accelerate digitalization in line with the country’s ambitions of a digital economy.

This pilot is a first step to a bigger plan by Government to have a full national roaming regime amongst all operators in the country.

Patricia Obo-Nai, CEO of Vodafone Ghana in a statement said “the implementation of national roaming will enable Vodafone Ghana customers to stay connected in areas outside our current locations of coverage. This is especially important for rural communities as national roaming invariably provides a greater choice of network providers.

“We believe strongly that the collaboration in the Volta Region is a positive step, and working together with the Government, the regulator and MTN Ghana, we look forward to extending the national roaming service beyond the Volta Region in due course”, she added.

“This agreement is a milestone for the industry and is in line with our Ambition 2025 strategic intent of “Leading digital solutions for Africa’s progress” CEO of MTN Ghana, Selorm Adadevoh, said.

“MTN fully supports the Government’s National Roaming plans. We acknowledge that national roaming will extend network coverage for Ghanaians nationwide and support the growth of the Ghana Telecommunications industry. Our Engineers have worked tirelessly to test and develop solutions to various challenges encountered along the journey and we are excited about what lies ahead in this partnership with Vodafone Ghana.” Mr. Adadevoh added.

Over the coming months, the outcome of the pilot would be instrumental in the development of the next phase of the partnership to cover more complex technical configurations for nationwide roaming on either network.

“We would update the market in due course. We take the opportunity to thank the National Communications Authority (NCA) for their support and engagement through the process, and for their approval for us to proceed with this pilot. We also thank the Ministry of Communications and Digitalization for putting in place the policy framework to support such a partnership for the industry at this stage of the Ghana Telecommunications industry evolution. We are confident that this is just one of many forward-looking policies to come to safeguard the viability of the industry into the future”, the two telecom giant pointed out.

Scancom PLC MTN Ghana is the market leader in the mobile telecommunications industry in Ghana, offering subscribers a range of exciting options under Pay As You Go, Pay Monthly and Mobile Financial Services.

The company is part of the MTN Group which is a leading emerging market leader with a clear vision to lead the delivery of a bold new digital world to our customers.

MTN donated a cash amount of ¢25,000, airtime worth ¢2,500 and assorted drink hampers worth ¢4,000 to the Kwahu Traditional Council and some sub-Chiefs in the Kwahu Traditional Area in support of this year’s Kwahu Easter celebrations. 

MTN donated ¢10,000, ¢1,000 worth of airtime and drinks hamper to the Kwahu Traditional Council at Abene, whilst the chiefs and elders of Obomeng, Mpraeso and Abetifi each received ¢5,000 cash, ¢500 worth of airtime and drinks hamper.

In addition to this presentation, MTN also helped in developing an area mapped out for events at a cost of ¢70,000 to the Obomeng community which can be used for events. 

The Kwahuhene, Daasebre Akuamoa Agyapong II, who received the items on behalf of the Kwahu Traditional Council, expressed his gratitude to MTN for the continuous support and commitment to this longstanding relationship with the people of Kwahu.

He eulogised MTN Ghana for its contribution to development in Ghana. 

The donation to Kwahu Traditional area forms part of MTN’s support for Traditional Councils across the country to help preserve the Ghanaian culture and heritage.

In view of this commitment, each year MTN supports over 40 traditional authorities across 16 regions of Ghana.

Some of the festivals supported include the, Oguaa Fetu Afahye, Kudum, Ada Asafotufiami, Asogoli, Kobine, Hogbetsotso, Homowo Apoo, Damba and others.

During the presentation, MTN Regional Sales Manager for MTN South East Business District, Steven Asare said, “We have come to reaffirm our friendship and lend our continuous support to the people of Kwahu as we have done for the past 14 years. Today we are here to support the traditional council in revamping the Kwahu Easter festivity after the devastating effect of the COVID-19 pandemic”. 

“We believe we have a role to play in reviving the commercial activities tied to the celebrations. By joining in the celebrations, we help in the creation of jobs for the youth during the Easter activities as well as help promote the development of tourism through the various entertainment activities that are organized to make the Kwahu Easter a unique event,” he added. 

As part of activities organised during the celebration at Kwahu, MTN created an experience centre to provide a distinct customer experience which also included SIM registration points. Other sets ups were also created at vantage points to respond to customers’ enquiries. 

MTN in a statement said it had received a letter from the CBN granting approval to commence operations.

The statement added that the date of commencement will be communicated to the CBN in accordance with requirements.

“We refer to our notification issued on 5 November 2021 in which we communicated receipt of the approval in principle from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for Momo Payment Service Bank Limited (Momo PSB),” the statement said.

“MTN Nigeria Communications Plc (MTN Nigeria) announces the receipt of a letter dated 8 April 2022 from the CBN addressed to Momo PSB conveying final approval to commence operations. The date of commencement will be communicated to the CBN in accordance with its requirements.

“MTN Nigeria affirms its commitment towards the financial inclusion agenda of the CBN and the Federal Republic of Nigeria and we are excited at this opportunity to support its fulfilment”.

Mobile money is an electronic service that enables users to send and receive money, make payments and perform other transactions using their mobile phones. The system is used across a number of MTN’s African markets, including Zambia, Ghana, Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Through its Foundation, MTN Ghana changed the story of the Police Depot cluster of schools that had been in bad shape for years.

The classrooms were dilapidated as the existing structures had no modern washrooms and relevant infrastructure to provide the right conditions for teaching and learning.

The GH¢3.4 million facility, which covers Kindergarten to Junior High School, will serve not only children of Police officials but some 2,500 students within the Tesano and Abeka areas.

According to Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of MTN Ghana, Selorm Adadevoh, who handed over the facility to the Police Administration, the gesture was part of the efforts of MTN to help the societies within which they operate and hoped the facility will impact the results of the students.

“Our motivation for taking on this project was fueled by our understanding that the school had been operating from a colonial, weak and dilapidated structure with no decent washroom facilities, no library [and] no ICT laboratory.

“The classrooms were also overcrowded and were unable to accommodate the high student population. This endangered the lives of the pupils and have become a matter of great concern to the police administration,” he said.

He noted the completion of the project was affected by the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic which stalled progress on construction works.

“It has been a challenging period since the sod-cutting, dealing with the pandemic, the recovery and the adjustment of Covid-19; but regardless, we continued to pursue our brightening-lives agenda and today we stand proud in the admiration of this important and beautiful edifice that we hope and know will impact many lives within this community,” Mr Adadevoh added.

Speaking on behalf of the IGP, the Director-General in charge of Services, COP George Alex Mensah, expressed gratitude to MTN Ghana.

He indicated that the Police administration will put the facility to good use.

“I wish, on behalf of the IGP and the entire Police administration, to express our profound gratitude to the Management of MTN Foundation which funded this project.

“This gesture, for me, is worthy of emulation and I wish to state that you have demonstrated this long-standing commitment to the principle of share responsibility,” he said.

COP Alex Mensah urged management and staff of the school to maintain the classroom complex effectively.

“Our sincere thanks go to others who may have contributed in diverse ways to ensure the construction and completion of this project.”

“I urge all staff and management of this school to keep the edifice clean as we find it today and ensure that the facilities are well-maintained effectively.”

This was after the telecommunications giant had donated GH¢5 million to the Trust Fund earlier this year.

Today’s donation is an addition to an earlier donation of GH¢5 million worth of PPEs, and testing kits to the Trust Fund, a total of 44,004 items comprising 10,000 pieces of N95 nose marks; 7,500 pieces of coveralls; 10,000 hand gloves; four sets of PCR machines; and 10,000 virus sampling kits.

Other items are-3,000 RNA extraction kits; 500 infrared thermometer guns; and 3,000 disposable bed sheets which were distributed to various hospitals, special isolation and care management centres, health centres, CHPS compounds and medical facilities across the country.

Speaking at the donation ceremony, the Chief Executive Officer of MTN Ghana, Selorm Adadevoh, stressed their commitment to support government in fighting the pandemic.

“As a business that is committed to the socio-economic development of Ghana, we are honoured to have been able to complement Government’s efforts in managing the pandemic through the donation of 5 million cedis worth of PPEs and testing equipment to the country,” he said.

The donation of the latest GH¢5 million, he believes will help immensely to “provide the needed PPEs for the people of Ghana and most importantly brighten lives as we celebrate our 25th anniversary.”

Having acknowledged that they have all collectively played their roles in this fight against COVID-19, MTN Ghana and its Foundation has approved the additional GHc5m to be presented to Trust Fund.

It is to ensure the Government’s strategy in combating the pandemic is fully achieved. This presentation brings MTN’s total contribution to the National COVID Trust Fund to GH¢10 million.

Embarked on a number of initiatives

“We embarked on a number of initiatives aimed at protecting our employees and the entire nation and keeping the working environment safe. We also introduced interventions which were aimed at protecting customers as well,” he said.

One of the key things which they needed to address was boosting their network to support work from home, online school, entertainment and other digital activities. Their aim then and now is to help ensure continuity of life, business and wellbeing, according to Mr Adadevoh.

He said they were proud to have also contributed to three educational campaigns aimed at getting people to live responsibly.

These Mr Adadevoh mentioned- “Be Wise”, “Wear it for me” and “One More Push” campaigns which were undertaken to encourage people across the continent to not give up in the fight against COVID-19, and to continue to wear their masks, wash their hands and practice social distancing.

On the vaccination front, MTN Group donated $25 million to support AU’s vaccination rollout across 55 member states to cover 7 million vaccine doses for health workers.

This contribution has come at the right time

Receiving the GH¢5 million donation, the Chairperson of the National Covid-19 Trust Fund, Her Ladyship Justice Sophia Akuffo (rtd) said the contribution by MTN is timely.

“This contribution has come at the right time especially when contributions to the Trust Fund have dwindled and almost halted due to the general perception that, the COVID-19 pandemic is either no more with us or is a pandemic for other to combat.

“But the facts are there for all of us to see the extent of havoc that the pandemic has caused and continue to cause to the people and economies of the global community, including our dear country Ghana”.

Her Ladyship Akuffo re-emphasised that they acknowledged the invaluable contributions from MTN Ghana towards the socio0economic development of the country.

She expressed her appreciation to MTN Ghana for this humane donation and called for more of such donations in the discharge of the Trust Fund’s statutory mandate of complementing the efforts of government to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

Her Ladyship Akuffo also used the occasion to appeal to other telecommunications companies as well as other private corporate organisations, well-meaning individuals and groups to emulate the example of MTN Ghana by making contributions both in cash and kind to support the Trust Fund.

Jessica has revealed in a video that has since gone viral that she was the voice ambassador for MTN and the one responsible for some of the company’s automated messages.

“I am the one who says the number you’ve dialed cannot be reached at the moment. The mobile equipment is either switched off or out of coverage area,” she said in the video.

Watch the video below as posted by fillaboyzdotcom

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It has, therefore, presented an amount of GH¢10 million to the Ministry of Communications and Digitalization for its annual Girls In ICT initiative.

The amount, which will be given over three years, will help in the advancement of gender equality in the field of ICT.

Corporate Service Executive, MTN, Samuel Koranteng, in his remarks before the presentation said the MTN Group is a signatory to the United Nations Women Empowerment Principles and has thus pledged its commitment to initiatives that empower women and girls.

“Our core belief as a business is that everyone deserves the benefits of modern, connected life, therefore, we strive to ensure that men and women benefit equally from ICT. This is why, as part of our 25th Anniversary celebrations, MTN Ghana is committing Ten Million Ghana Cedis (GHc10million) to support the Ministry of Communication’s Annual Girls in ICT Initiative over three years,” he said.

He associated the telecom company with the remarks by President Akufo-Addo when he received the Robotics team of the Methodist Girls High School from Mamfe, Akuapim who won the World Championship in Robotics and Coding Competition in December 2020, recently.

“Gender Empowerment is a key strategic component of MTN’s Corporate Social Investment and over the years we have made significant contributions in this regard. We, however, do not wait until precocious young girls become seasoned women professionals before taking an interest in them. Our contributions start from the grassroots level,” Mr Koranteng added.

Minister of Communications and Digitalisation, Mrs Ursula Owusu-Ekuful gladly accepted the donation and thanked MTN for joining other corporate organisations to support the government’s initiative to empower girls in ICT.

She said the world of ICT provides great career opportunities for girls if they are given the needed support and mentorship.

She said the initiative for this year has begun adding that girls from rural communities are already undergoing programming and coding training.

“ I will be there on the 5th and stay till the climax on the 15th and you should see how they are learning and excited about the things they are doing,” she added.

She said with the funding boost from MTN Ghana, the Ministry will consider expanding the programme to reach more girls.

The MoMo Month which is held annually in August is expected to reward thousands of its loyal customers as well as mobile money agents, retailers and merchants.

This year’s event is on the theme: “Consolidating Digital Payment for Economic Transformation”.

Speaking at the launch in Accra on Thursday, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Mobile Money Limited (MML), Eli Hini

said Ghanaians must, therefore, take advantage of the enormous potential of the sector to facilitate economic transformation.

“Today, with the emergence of AfCFTA our markets have been widened and with the increasing acceptance of e-commerce, digital payments are expected to grow. We believe that if our payment platforms are fully utilised the socio-economic benefits will be enormous,” he said.

Mr Hini said for the past nine years, the company had dedicated the month of August to create awareness and educate customers about the benefits of MoMo, adding that since its inception nearly a decade ago, the MoMo month had contributed immensely to the significant achievements chalked by the company.

This, he said, included 17 million registered subscribers, 19 partner banks, more than 200,000 agents and over 7.5 billion transactions.

He noted that the company had also taken a number of measures including collaborating with other Mobile Network Operatives and the Telecom Chamber, to protect customers against mobile money fraud.

That, he added, had significantly reduced fraud incidences by closing the gaps to accessing the sim card and also blocking the IMEI of phones used in undertaking fraudulent activities.

He encouraged Ghanaians, particularly MTN subscribers to be vigilant and report any fraudulent activities to the company to enable it take punitive measures against perpetuators and make the practice unattractive.

Mr Hini also expressed MTN’s commitment to support government’s GHQR to facilitate easy payments for goods and services.

“For us at MML, we are working towards a period where MoMo can and will be accepted for all forms of payments including paying for trotro and taxi fare, payment of tolls, and many more.

We continue to work with partners who connect to our platforms to receive payments for their goods and services using the Merchant ID option. To this end we fully support the governments GHQR,” he added.

Senior Manager, Operations and Service Delivery at MTN, Ruth Baddoo

said the COVID-19 pandemic had accelerated the upgrade and use of e-payment across all channels and sectors over the past years.

She noted that more than 80 percent of MTN customers today, use mobile money and assured that MML would continue to create awareness on the need to adopt digital payment, to expand the digital financial service industry.

Mr Abdul-Majeed Rufai, Senior Manager, Commercial at MTN, said the company had lined up events including engaging communities, market women as well as associations on the need to adopt MoMo as payment platforms to consolidate the gains.

Other events include stakeholder forum to collaborate to promote digitize payments in Ghana, customers, agents, merchants, akwaaba and mobile agents promo.

The MTN Mobile Money Month was introduced in 2012 to deepen awareness among Ghanaians on the MTN Mobile Money service.

The meeting, which is the company’s third Annual General Meeting (AGM) since going public, will be streamed live from the company’s head office at MTN House, Independence Avenue.

The meeting will enable shareholders to discuss the audited financial statements and the reports of the Directors and Auditors, appoint and fix remuneration of auditors and approve the payment of directors fee for the year ended December 31, 2020.

The final dividend for the year ended 31st December 2020, as recommended by the directors, will be reviewed and approved by shareholders. There will also be the re-election and appointment of retiring and new Directors of the company, respectively.

Shareholders will also be expected to authorise the amendment of the company’s constitution to increase the maximum number of directors from 10 to 12.  

Shareholders with smart devices can participate in the virtual meeting via www.mtnghagm.com from 11:00am whilst shareholders who do not have smart devices may participate in the AGM by following these steps; (i) dialing +233244300025; (ii) entering the access code 8000; and (iii) entering the conference pin number 056789.

Invitations to the meeting have been sent to all shareholders via SMS and emails with their unique token numbers. Registration for the AGM will start at 8 am; however, the AGM will commence at 11 am.

A shareholder may appoint a proxy to attend virtually and vote on their behalf. Such a proxy need not be a shareholder of the company.

A copy of the Proxy Form may be downloaded from www.mtnghagm.com, completed, signed and sent via email only to info@csd.com.gh.

In order for shareholders to review the 2020 audited financial statements before the AGM, a copy has been uploaded online and can be found in the Annual Report Brochure section of the AGM portal (www.mtnghagm.com).

Voting during the AGM will be done electronically via the portal or by dialing USSD code *899*0# for non-smart phone users. Furthermore, shareholders who do not submit a proxy prior to the meeting, may vote using their unique token number.

Scancom PLC (MTN Ghana) held its first AGM in May 2019 after it listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) on 5 September 2018. It remains the company with the largest number of Ghanaian shareholders following its Initial Public Offering (IPO) which raised GHS 1,146,589,464.75 from 128,152 applicants.

The IPO of MTN Ghana made history as the largest primary share offer in the history of the GSE. Most importantly, it enabled many Ghanaians to own shares in one of Ghana’s largest, most visible and well-respected companies.

More so, other items were presented to three regional Imams in the Ashanti, Western and Northern Regions.

Presenting the items to the National Chief Imam in Accra, the Senior Manager for Customer Relations, Salihu Abu, indicated that this year’s Ramadan is not a regular one since the outbreak of Covid-19 has changed the dynamics of Eid al-Fitr traditions and celebrations all over the world.

”Last year, all religious gatherings and activities have been disrupted in one shape or form. We, however, thank Allah for giving us life. Last year by this time, all of us were locked in our homes.

“We thank Allah most especially for your life – we have noted with gratitude to God your recent 102 birthday celebration, and we are so glad to have come to meet you and your elders in good health,” he stated.

“Despite all these changes, Eid remains the time of giving thanks for all the blessings in our lives, focusing on the sunnah we can fulfil and reach out to those facing greater challenges.

“Today, we are here to donate the following items ¢5,000 cash, 15 bags of rice, 10 cartons of vegetable oil 5 bags of sugar, 40 packs of mineral water, 28 packs of soft drinks, 5 cartons of Milo, a ram, 500 face shields, and airtime worth ¢500.

In addition to this donation, MTN Ghana will also donate food items to Muslim families in Nima, Maamobi, Fadama, Ashaiman, Kosoa, Koforidua Zongo, Asawase, Aboabo, Sawaba, Moshie Zongo, and Akwatia line.

We also want to take this opportunity to inform the office of the National Chief Imam that, MTN Ghana will mark the 25th Anniversary of its operations this year.

“As part of the celebrations, MTN Ghana has set aside the equivalent of $25 million to support the country with a legacy project and other Community intervention projects,” he hinted.

Mr. Salihu Abu, however, seized the opportunity to encourage the Muslim community and all and sundry in Ghana to continue observing the Covid -19 protocols by wearing their facemasks where necessary.

And also, by washing and sanitizing their hands regularly and also keep practicing social distancing.

Receiving the items, the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Dr Osman Nuhu Sharubutu, expressed his profound gratitude to MTN Ghana for their gesture and unflinching support over the years.

He also prayed for God’s blessing and guidance for the management and staff of MTN.

He, therefore, urged all Ghanaians to continue living harmoniously in order to maintain the peace and tranquility the country is enjoying.

The items donated include: nose masks, 20,000 pieces of gloves, Thermometers, face shields and gallons of Methylated Spirit.

Presenting the items to the Hospital, the Senior Manager of MTN Ghana Foundation, Robert Kuzoe said the donation is a complement government effort in fighting the global pandemic.

He revealed that, as at the end of December 2020, the cumulative value of MTN Ghana’s efforts to fighting COVID-19 was GH¢139 million,” he disclosed.

Mr. Kuzoe underscored the need for adequate protection for health workers for the critical services they provide at the peril of their lives.

“MTN also launched the “Wear it for Me” campaign to raise awareness about the importance of wearing face masks and also donated about over 85k KN 95 face masks to over 30 hospitals in all 16 regions,” he added.

The Chief Executive Officer of Korle- Bu Teaching Hospital, Dr. Opoku Ware Ampomah, who received the items applauded MTN Ghana for the timely donation.

he said safety of frontline health workers is very critical in Ghana’s fight to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Dr. Opoku Ware Ampomah called on Ghanaians to continue to observe all the COVID-19 safety protocols as they work to reduce the number of active cases.

This time, the name of the wallet owner will pop up on the agent’s screen during a cashout transaction and if it does not match the name on the ID, the transaction will be terminated.

Chief Executive Officer of MobileMoney Limited, Eli Hini revealed this during a virtual forum Tuesday 

“Beginning from tonight [Tuesday night], the additional layer will be activated and will make it possible for agents to compare the name on the wallet with the name on the ID and determine the way forward on the transaction,” he added.

Mr. Hini also revealed that wallets of some mobile money agents have been suspended for allowing customers to cash out without using a valid ID.

He indicated that the affected agents will sign a bond of compliance before the wallets will be reactivated.

“Those who flout the directive for a second time will have their wallets completely deactivated for good and they will be blacklisted all the way to the regulator level – which means they will not be able to work as agents for any other mobile money platform,” the MoMo CEO stated.

To ensure compliance, Mr. Hini said they have people in town who will be monitoring the activities of the agents.

“We have dispatched a team to do mystery shopping to check if agents will follow the directive strictly – those found wanting will be weeded out of the system because we need the full compliance of the agents to make this policy work,” he noted.

Eli Hini urged the public to comply with the rule in their own interest.

Golden rules

Eli Hini said customers should also keep observing the three golden rules for the security of their own wallets.

The three golden rules are:

1. Do not divulge your mobile money PIN to anyone.
2. Do not approve of any mobile money transaction you did not initiate.
3. Do not answer to any calls about your mobile money wallet if the call is not from MTN’s official number – 0244300000.

The vaccines arrived in the country two days ago and were received at the Kotoka International Airport by Dr Mathew Kyeremeh, Chairman of the Health Commodities Group for COVID-19 of the Ministry of Health.

Dr Kyeremeh expressed his gratitude to MTN and said the vaccines were going to be administered to people with underlying conditions and frontline workers.

In a major commitment to the health of the continent, MTN made the commitment in January 2021 to accelerate the AU’s critical programme.  This was aimed at securing up to seven million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine overall, to be spread across all 55 AU member states, for healthcare workers specifically.

“While the facilitation of the vaccination programme is in the hands of the Africa CDC and the African Union Vaccination Acquisition Task Team, MTN is encouraged to see a clear plan and strong, accelerated move towards keeping Africa and its people safe and healthy. This is part of our ongoing commitment to ensure that Ghana and Africa as a whole, is not left behind,” says Selorm Adadevoh, Chief Executive Officer of MTN Ghana.

“As a company that is committed to the prosperity and progress of Ghana and indeed the continent, for MTN’s part, we are proud to be able to make a humble contribution to the millions of vaccine doses needed to reach herd immunity,” he said.

“We are excited and grateful to be receiving this share of the first one million doses as part of the AU’s accelerated vaccine programme, supported by MTN.  While we are still in the early stages of the vaccine race, this initial contribution offers some very welcome relief as we start seeing the programme coming to fruition to the benefit of our dedicated healthcare workers,” says Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, Minister of Health.

MTN continues to call on all large corporates across industry sectors, to play their part by contributing to this and similar initiatives that can fast-track the rollout of much-needed vaccines to help get the virus under control. Following the outbreak of Coronavirus in Ghana, the MTN Ghana Foundation has supported Ghanaians with some major interventions to lessen the impact of the pandemic. MTN donated GHc5 million worth of PPEs to the National Covid Trust Fund. Again, the Foundation donated essential equipment to the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research to enable rapid testing and data processing. The Foundation also donated over 80,00 face masks to 30 hospitals across the country. With the surge in COVID-19 cases in 2021, the Foundation recently donated PPEs to 15 Senior High Schools and 29 Hospitals.

MTN Ghana also zero-rated several public websites providing health and other COVID-19 related information as well as over 200 websites for academic use by public and private educational institutions.  Other educational campaigns such as the ‘BE WISE’ campaign and MTN’s global ‘#WearItForMe’ marketing initiative were undertaken to build awareness around the importance of correctly wearing a face mask to combat the spread of the virus.

As at the end of December 2020, the cumulative value of MTN Ghana’s efforts to fighting COVID-19 was GH¢139 million.

MTN Ghana is the market leader in the increasingly competitive mobile telecommunications industry in Ghana, offering subscribers a range of exciting options under Pay Monthly and Pay As You Go Services and Mobile Financial Services.

The company has committed itself to delivering reliable and innovative services that provide value for subscribers in Ghana’s telecommunications market.

Since its entry into Ghana in 2006, MTN has continuously invested in expanding and modernising its network in order to offer superior services to a broad expanse of the nation.

The donation will help secure up to seven million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine for health workers across the continent, which will contribute to the vaccination initiative of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).

“The devastating impact of COVID-19 has been unprecedented and profound. Public and private partnerships are needed if we are to succeed in the fight against the pandemic and restore social and economic norms for our continent and our communities,” says Ralph Mupita, President and Chief Executive Officer of MTN Group.

On 14 January 2021, President Cyril Ramaphosa, Chairperson of the African Union, announced that the African Union had secured a provisional 270 million COVID-19 vaccine doses on behalf of its Member States, through advance procurement commitment guarantees of up to US$2 billion to the manufacturers by the African Export-Import Bank.

This was an important milestone in efforts to ensure equitable access to the COVID-19 vaccine for Africa’s people. However, with a population of about 1.3 billion, Africa requires many more doses to achieve at least 60 percent herd immunity. Contributions by private organisations like MTN, are therefore essential to help the continent reach its target.

“Our goal is to ensure that all those who need the COVID-19 vaccine have access to it very quickly, but the biggest hurdle in Africa has been financing of the vaccines, and the logistics of vaccinating at scale. We, therefore, welcome the right partnerships, like the one with MTN, to achieve our minimum 60 percent vaccination target,” says Dr John Nkengasong, Director of Africa CDC.

Commenting on this, the CEO of MTN Ghana, Selorm Adadevoh, said “our immense appreciation goes to our dedicated frontline health workers, the Government, and other key stakeholders who have worked tirelessly and braved the odds to help our country in the face of this relentless pandemic. MTN appreciates your devotion to duty and hopeful that these vaccines will help us all fight the COVID 19 pandemic.”

Since the beginning of the pandemic, MTN has made significant contributions to help limit the spread of the disease and save lives and livelihoods within its African market.
This donation is another example of MTN’s efforts to help find lasting solutions to solve the challenges facing the continent and to guarantee a healthy Africa, for all Africans.

“We believe ongoing collaborations with key stakeholders across sectors are essential as vaccines are deployed in all our markets, with communication tools, technology and digital services being vital support infrastructure for a successful mass vaccination programme,” concludes Mupita. “In the coming months, MTN Group will look at similar support commitments for the markets in which we operate in the Middle East.”

She said, “recognition is very important especially in in a very unusual year.  The awards received will urge MTN Ghana to prioritize continuous improvement in people management that translates into improved products and services for our cherished customers.”

“There hasn’t been a better time for HR practitioners to make a difference and we need to take the leadership in our respective organizations towards making the shifts required to sustain businesses, protect jobs and sustain employee engagement in the workplace”

Answering the question on what MTN did differently to win the highest awards for the day, Amma said,” MTN is a feedback and insight driven organization and both internal and external initiatives are people and customer driven.  A focus on the customer both internal and external has enabled MTN to be productive, efficient and effective in serving its people and customers during this difficult time.”

The Chief Executive Officer of MTN Ghana Mr. Selorm Adadevoh congratulated the HR Executive and her team for her leadership in ensuring MTN continues to practice and employ best HR practices.

He said, “Today, majority of MTN employees are working from home and work is going on. Kudos to Amma for the great leadership skills in developing and implementing policies that contributes to the success of the business. A big congratulations to the HR Team for the collaboration and the sterling performance.

The Africa Human Resources Innovation Awards formerly Ghana Human Resources Innovation Awards is an annual celebration of leading Human Resource Practitioners and organizations with Top-notch HR models who have made sterling contributions to the corporate sector over the years. MTN has picked many awards since its participation.

The Chief Executive Officer of Accra-based Chafal Communications Limited took home a brand new 2020 SUV 4X4 Toyota Rush, certificate of honour and other prizes.

Other winners took home prizes ranging from television sets, motorbikes, laptops to cheques.

125 agents and 100 merchants from the Greater Accra, Eastern, Volta, and Oti regions received awards in the night.

The winners took home prizes ranging from television sets, motorbikes, laptops to cheques.

Kelvin Atsu Wilson He expressed this concern at the MTN Mobile Money awards ceremony held over the weekend to celebrate hardworking agents across the South-Eastern part of the country.

, speaking to Joy Business on the sidelines after the award ceremony called on MTN to educate agents on the importance of life insurance.

“Life insurance is very good but what I think they should do now is to educate the agents to understand what life insurance is,” he stated.

Taking away a four wheel drive, cash prize and souvenirs, Kelvin expressed joy and stated that this is a form of motivation to work harder.

“I’m so overwhelmed. I’m happy. We’ve been doing this mobile money for close to ten years now. We’ve been working hard and we knew that one day this would come,” he exclaimed.

Speaking at the event, General Manager for Mobile Money Limited, Eli Hini said fraudulent MoMo transactions affect sustainability of businesses.

He indicated that, MTN mobile money agents caught in fraudulent activities will have their contracts terminated.

“And we’ve, over the period, invested heavily in education, technology solutions and also ensuring that we deal with these fraudsters in a very quick manner, and this we have been able to achieve through collaborations with the Ghana Police who have assisted us in doing arrests across the country”, he said.

However, he urged customers to take responsibility to prevent granting fraudsters the opportunity to access to their monies.

“What we want our customers to also do is to take responsibility because it cannot be a one way thing. I always say that if you have a very good security system, there’s always an access point and if that access point is weak, that is where the fraudsters will come through.”

The awards were presented to MTN in acknowledgement of its execution excellence in marketing strategies and operations in the telecoms space.

These strategies have contributed significantly to enhancing the image of the brand, providing exceptional customer experience and brightening the lives of people in the communities in which it operates.

In addition to the CIMG awards,MTN Ghana further consolidated its leadership in the telecoms industry by winning seven other awards at the Ghana Information Technology and Telecom Awards (GITTA).

MTN was adjudged the Social Impact Company of the year, Customer Experience Company of the Decade, Digital Transformation Company of the Year, Mobile Money Company of the Decade and Telecom Company of the Decade.

Chief Executive Officer of MTN Ghana, Mr. Selorm Adadevoh was recognised as the Industry Personality of the Year

while General Manager for Mobile Money Limited, Mr. Eli Hini won the Mobile Money Leadership Award. 

Commenting on the awards, the CEO of MTN Ghana, Mr. Selorm Adadevoh expressed his excitement about the recognition MTN received at both the CIMG and GITTA awards. 

He said, “For nearly25 years of the company’s existence, we have delivered the best value propositions to our customers. As we journey towards becoming a digital operator by 2023, the experience we provide the customer has been our main focus. We continue to research to develop solutions that meets and exceeds their expectations in the digital world. We thank our customers and stakeholders for their support which has culminated into the awards received”.

Selorm also congratulated Eli Hini for his commitment and drive which has made MoMo the most preferred brand for all mobile financial transactions thereby creating more opportunities for the financially excluded to gain inclusion.

MTN Ghana has over the years received many awards from various institutions in relation to its operations of telecoms services. MTN will continue to adopt innovative ways to ensure its customers enjoy reliable and excellent telecommunication services. 

The Heritage App is currently available on the Google Play Store and App store. There are plans to host it on the ayoba platform which is accessible in our operating countries in Africa and the Middle East.

After the signing of the MoU information from the national folklore board will be migrated to the Ayoba App.

The second phase will see a more active collaboration between the two partners in order to create new content while the final phase looks at monetization.

Speaking at the signing ceremony at the MTN House in Accra, the Sales and Distribution Executive at MTN, Mr. Eric Nsarkoh stressed that the marriage with the national folklore is very important.

“They [National Folklore Board] are the gatekeeper for all the heritage content in Ghana. Whether it’s stories, music, and scientific works. So what it means is that since we are a digital technology player, if we want to distribute or we want to support the distribution of our intellectual content work, this is one of the partnerships that have to be in place because we approach our partnership as community-based”.

Mr. Eric Nsarkoh added, “if the youth want to see heritage content and we provide telecommunication networks that connect them to the internet, then we have to help them to get the tools to access the kind of content that they want to see”.

He noted that, as a leader in the telecoms space in Ghana, they thought of going beyond the celebration of festivals as a means to helping preserve our culture.

“We commissioned the development of a Mobile Application,known as the Heritage App to showcase information on Ghana and its cultural Heritage” Mr Nsarkoh added.

In an interview, the Acting Director for the National Folklore Board, Nana Adjoa Adobea Asante was elated about the partnership.

She indicated that, the initiative will help ensure Ghana has an inventory of its folklore.

“This MOU is the beginning of a great relationship between MTN and the National Folklore Board.One of the key agenda or highlight that we needed to do was to ensure we have an inventory of our folklore and what better way than to have an inventory which is digitally accessible to all”, she said.

The Acting Director of the National Folklore Board added that the partnership with MTN will help them fulfill their mandate.

Brand value is the net economic benefit that a brand owner would achieve by licensing the brand in the open market.

In its survey, Brand Finance said: “Over the last year, Africa’s largest mobile operator has celebrated solid profits and impressive subscriber growth.”

The survey assessed the impact of Covid-19 on the enterprise value of all brands in its survey, compared to their values on January 1, 2020. It categorised the telecoms sector as ‘limited impact’, which it said meant “minimal brand value loss or potential brand value growth”.

This was due to the increasingly important role that mobile operators have played in keeping people connected in the time of the pandemic.

In July, Brand Finance named MTN Group the most valuable South African brand, a result of the group’s focus on improving the customer experience for subscribers, as well as uniting 19000 employees around a shared belief, which is that everyone deserves the benefits of a modern connected life.

Given the progress made so far, in good faith, on settlement discussions with the NCA, and Ministry of Communications, the company has withdrawn its application filed at the Supreme Court on September 4, 2020. It is our expectation that this action will pave the way for further discussions and an amicable resolution, in the spirit of the renewed channels of engagement.

MTN Ghana identifies that a collective goodwill and commitment is necessary to help the entire industry thrive and support Government’s agenda to enhance connectivity and the availability of communication services in the country. We are convinced that this decision is in the best interest of our cherished customers, shareholders and other stakeholders.

MTN Ghana would like to reassure its cherished Customers and Shareholders that our commitment to the delivery of a bold new digital world in Ghana continues to be resolute.

MTN Ghana remains focused on providing the enabling technology to support Ghana’s digital economy through partnerships with the Government of Ghana and other Ghanaian telecommunication players.

MTN Group Chief Technology and Information Officer, Charles Molapisi said “Our partnership with TIP will drive the specific requirements of our network to meet our subscriber demands, setting us apart on our network scalability and adaptability”.

TIP’s Chief Engineer, David Hutton communication transport capacity will be deployed through the partnership to support traffic growth over the next three years.

Also, it will provide support for new services as part of the evolution of 5G and new enterprise services.

It will also reduce the time to market through more focused agile service provisioning.

“Through the use of open protocols and interfaces, and the ability to incorporate specific innovations focused on the performance of each network component, TIP’s open disaggregated, standard-based transport networks can help MTN move closer to its ideal transport infrastructure,” he said.

The TIP community, which aggregates members across the whole transport network value chain, is a key tool for MTN to build its future transport infrastructure.

To achieve the objective of increasing network efficiency, MTN has identified a set of requirements named CASSI that will support its work by:

• Convergent and congestion-free: Delivering on the capacity requirements from all network access technologies, including the most demanding, like accesses to fiber, next-generation radio systems, enterprise, and consumer requirements.

• Always on: Implementing a fully automated resilient transport network, to support high availability as demanded by advanced digital services.

• Scalable: Allowing for an easy/efficient capacity expansion, able to accommodate fast-growing traffic demands at a lower cost.

• Simplified: Making use of standardised network configurations and open protocols, to drive lower unit costs and increase capital expenditure efficiencies.

• Intelligent: Automation of the network operations by using software to optimise network resource planning and management, achieving higher operational efficiencies by enabling use cases such as smart planning, auto-provisioning, network visualisation, and forecasting and network slicing among others.

MTN will work together with the TIP community in the months ahead to build transport products and network configurations addressing the company’s requirements that could be tested and validated in TIP’s community labs and in the field, to create easy-to-use commercial solutions for the CASSI use cases

This is contained in a press release by MTN Ghana.

“Tariffs for all voice calls, data and SMS have been amended to reflect the downward adjustment of the CST. In addition, MTN is giving a 5 percent bonus on all types of recharges including physical voucher, Mobile Money and Electronic Voucher Device (EVD),” the release stated.

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MTN Ghana in its press statement noted that adjustments to the new tariffs took effect from September 15, 2020, as announced by the Finance Minister in his 2020 Mid-year Budget Review presentation.

The tariff adjustment coupled with the 5 per cent bonus on every recharge according to Samuel Koranteng, the Corporate Services Executive of MTN Ghana, will enable customers enjoy more talk time and browsing time for the same price of recharge voucher or bundle purchased.

The bonus on all types of recharge, he further stated, is valid for a period of seven days and is available till December 31, 2020.

Mr. Adadevoh says the company has invested a lot of resources which is estimated to cost around ¢100 million to guarantee the safety and protection of staff and customers and to support government to cope with the global pandemic.

Speaking at the 2020 edition of the Annual Media and Stakeholder Forum, the CEO of MTN Ghana, announced that MTN Ghana along with the MTN Ghana Foundation has done a lot to make life more comfortable for its various stakeholders.

MTN invested about ¢29 million to provide the required measures to keep staff and the working environment safe.

An additional ¢72 million has been spent on interventions that have impacted customers whilst ¢6 million has been spent on initiatives to support government.

Specific interventions carried out by MTN Ghana include:

• Supply of PPE for all MTN frontline staff
• Provision of relevant tools to enable about 90% of staff work from home
• Provision of 45 buses to transport MTN frontline staff to their work locations
• Boosting Network resilience (50% increase in international bandwidth, 100 new sites); to support work from home, online school, entertainment and other digital activities.
• Provision of Free access to over 200 educational websites for several educational institutions     
• Offer of Free MoMo P2P transfers up to GHS100 daily from March till date
• Provision of Free access (zero rate) of the Smart Workplace portal for government workers
• Donation of GhS5m worth of PPEs for frontline health workers and 4 PCR machines
• Donation of digital equipment to Noguchi Memorial worth GHS42,000; and
• Distribution of 85,000 face masks to various hospitals and clinics nationwide
• Two-month behavioral change campaign urging people to wear face mask. (Be Wise and Wear it for me campaign).

Selorm Adadevoh also used the opportunity to confirm that MTN Ghana was on track to become a digital operator by the end of 2023.

The MTN Editors and Stakeholder Forum is held across the country annually to engage senior media practitioners and stakeholders of the business to share insights into the business operations for the year and for the future. 

Similar virtual forums will be held with the media in other parts of the country.

The points based promotion gives customers the opportunity to earn and accrue points when they make payments.

Customers earn1 MoMo point for every ¢1 paid. Payments should have been made to at least five unique Merchants ID numbers within the month to qualify for a prize.

At the end of each month, the top 2,000 customers who earn the most points will be declared winners. The 2000 selected customers will be presented with e-cash prizes ranging from ¢10,000 to ¢50.

Speaking on the promo, the General Manager for MTN Mobile Money Limited, Eli Hini said, “Digitization is facilitating the new- normal and at the center stage of this is digital payments”.  

We are using this promotion to encourage customers to enjoy convenience of making payments using a merchant ID or a QR code which eliminates the handling of cash and ensures a safe and secure transaction.” 

He urged retail outlets, churches, hospitals, Associations and unions etc., to also embrace MoMo pay as a means of receiving all forms of payments to reduce the time spent sorting, counting and transporting cash to the banks.

“With the merchant pay, your money is kept safe and sales can easily be tracked,” he added.

The ‘MoMo Pay & Win’ promotion was launched on August 5^th as part of activities to celebrate MoMo month under the theme “The Relevance of MoMo in a COVID 19” World”.  

It is aimed at encouraging customers to adopt digital payments over physical cash which could be a source of exposure to the coronavirus.

The MTN “MoMo Pay and Win” promo will end on September 30. Customers can check their accrued points for the month by dialling *120#. At the end of each month, the winners will be presented with their prizes.

Other activities outlined to create excitement for customers during 2020 MoMo month celebration are digital fairs and social media quizzes. 

Earlier in the month, stakeholder workshop was organised to discuss how to boost the FinTech Eco-system in a COVID -19 world.

With the launch of the promotion, MTN has intensified its campaign against fraud.  MTN MoMo customers are advised to be careful of the activities of scammers.

Customers are to note that MTN does NOT charge ANY money or its equivalent before prizes are redeemed; hence any request for money, recharge cards or airtime before a prize is redeemed is fraudulent.

Calls originating from MTN on the promotion will be made through the official line 0244300000 only.

MTN MoMo Month was instituted in 2012 and has for the past eight years been instrumental in driving awareness, influencing policy and deepening the use of MoMo services.

Over the years, MoMo Month celebration has contributed significantly to driving adoption and acceptance of e-money nationwide.

MTN MoMo was launched in 2009 with two main services i.e. Money Transfer and Airtime Purchase.

The MoMo platform has six major categories of financial transactions under which varying services are provided including Pensions, Insurance, Savings, Micro Loans, International Remittances and Banking Options.

As society navigates the “new normal” brought about by the pandemic, wearing face coverings remains one of the most effective measures to slow its spread. However, many people refuse to wear them, wear them incorrectly, or still underestimate their importance.

“COVID-19 has had profound health and socioeconomic impacts across the world. We empathise and mourn the lives lost to the pandemic. And even though the outbreak appears to be slowing in Africa, now is not the time to be complacent,” says MTN’s incoming group president and CEO Ralph Mupita.

“With increasing evidence that masks can limit the spread of COVID-19, and eventually eliminate the disease if worn by 80-90% of the population, we need to do what we can to make a meaningful difference. Wearing a mask is not only about protecting oneself, but about respecting and protecting others,” says Mupita.

To help drive this behaviour, MTN is committing its September 2020 marketing resources to encourage everyone to do more to save lives. #WearItForMe is the second phase of MTN’s Y’ello Hope COVID-19 response initiative. It is a powerful call-to-action using the voices of some of the most influential people in our communities: mothers and mother-figures. They will send heartfelt messages to all the children of Africa to wear a mask and “wear it for me’’.

The campaign will build on MTN’s work carried out under Y’ello Hope to brighten lives and limit the impact of the pandemic, including through providing free data lifelines, zero-rated access to educational sites and using technology for contact tracing and information dissemination through the Africa COVID Communications and Information Platform.

“Wearing a mask is, of course, not the only thing we all need to do to slow the spread of the virus: regular handwashing and strict social distancing are just as important,” concludes Mupita.

#WearItForMe will run throughout September. Visit www.wearitfor.me to send a message to someone to encourage them to do the right thing. #WearItForMe: Because when we all wear masks, we protect each other.

General Manager of Mobile Money Limited of MTN, Eli Hini made the announcement at their maiden virtual Annual General Meeting in Accra.

He disclosed that so far, MTN has aided the police to arrest over 40 mobile money fraudsters and some moneys have been retrieved from the fraudsters in some of the cases, based on intelligence MTN provided.

Eli Hini acknowledged that the more MTN Mobile Money grows, the more the fraudsters also get sophisticated, but MTN is on daily basis improving its systems and process to weed them out.

“We have built systems that are able to pick intelligence and lead to police swoops in specific communities where the fraudsters were arrested and some money retrieved for customers,” he said.

He, however, noted that whereas MTN invests heavily in artificial intelligence to fight MoMo fraud, it also behooves on customers to be on high alert and not expose themselves to fraudsters.

“Never discuss your mobile money transactions with anyone who calls and says they are calling from MTN – never give out your MoMo PIN to anyone who claims he is from MTN – if you are not participating in any promotion, ignore any one who calls you and claims you have won a reward,” he cautioned.

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Eli Hini said it was important for customers to remember that “MTN will never call you and ask you to send MoMo transfer in order to claim a prize – because if you really win a prize from us we will call you with 0244300000 and invite you to an event to receive your prize.”

He said MTN has been able to capture a lot of the tactics of the MoMo fraudsters and they do share that information on their various social media platforms so it is important for customers to always follow that education and know how to identify and ward off the fraudsters.

Eli Hini also revealed that some 15.5 million Ghanaians have mobile money wallets and a total of GHS4 billion has been transacted on the MTN Mobile Money platform since its inception, saying that it is good for the economy because most of that money remain in the financial sector and are being invested in projects.

He also called for a centralised identification system to enable an easier detection and apprehension of fraudsters.