MTN To Commit US$25 Million To Develop Ghana’s Digital Ecosystem
Mobile telecommunication giant, MTN Wednesday said it will in the next three years invest US$25 million to enhance the development of the country’s digital ecosystem.
It will also commit US$150 million towards improving the network and IT systems, to connect the remaining 15 per cent of Ghanaians across the country who are in the remotest communities and increase capacity and experience for its customers.
Mr Selorm Adadevoh, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of MTN, announced this at the launch of the company’s 25th Anniversary Celebration, in Accra.
“We are also committing as part of our 25th Anniversary a US$25 million fund over three years, to support Government in its digital agenda. One of the legacy projects we have already committed to is the building of an ICT hub in Ghana,” he added.
He said the company had always seen Ghana as a market to invest because of its governance and political stability, policy predictability and consistent economic growth over the years.
In the next three years, it would, therefore, work with Government through the Ministry of Communications and Digitalization, to support the development of the digital ecosystem to promote business development.
Mr Adadevoh said since the inception of the company, it had invested more than US$6 billion in infrastructure development and had taken various commercial risks, such as sustaining investments in mobile money, as well as investing in 3G.
The CEO said the company had repositioned its strategy from “BRIGHT to Ambition 2025,” aimed at building the largest and most valuable platform business with a focus on Africa.
This, he said, was anchored on five pillars: Fintech Solutions, Digital and Ayoba, Enterprise, Network as a Service, and an API Marketplace.
“Our vision is “to lead the delivery of a bold new digital world to our customers” and this underpins our sustained investment in the MTN Ghana business in the areas of rural connectivity and in implementing digital platforms to give the opportunity to our customers to live a modern connected life,” he explained.
He commended the Government, policy
makers and regulators for their contributions in advancing policy frameworks from deregulation to creating the enabling environment towards making the dream of a digital Ghana possible.
makers and regulators for their contributions in advancing policy frameworks from deregulation to creating the enabling environment towards making the dream of a digital Ghana possible.
He expressed gratitude to its customers, for their loyalty, feedback and commitment to the brand and ensuring the success of the company.
Mrs Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, Minister of Communication and Digitisation, commended management of MTN for the investments made and playing a lead role in bringing innovation and transformation to the sector.
She assured them of a stronger collaboration between government and MTN to move Ghana’s telecom market into the forefront of the Africa continent.
She said that government would continue to create an enabling environment, as well as provide incentives for the development of the Fintech industry.
She said that government would continue to create an enabling environment, as well as provide incentives for the development of the Fintech industry.
The company currently serves about 25 million subscribers and employs over 2,500 Ghanaians. It has created over half a million jobs, including hundreds of thousands of airtime resellers, mobile money agents and mobile money merchants).