Accra, Ghana//-The Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, today launched the 30th anniversary celebrations of MTN Ghana, parent company of Scancom PLC, with a call on the leading telecoms firm to invest more in its telecom services.
He described today’s milestone as first and foremost a story about Ghana’s telecommunications sector. A sector that has grown from a handful of fixed lanes in the early 1990s to a modern phone-first, data-driven ecosystem that is serving over 40 million subscriptions today.
That transformation has been the work of many hands including engineers, technical people, policymakers, marketing and sales people, among others in and outside the country, Mr George added.
The sector is being shaped by mobile network operators, tower companies, internet service providers, and thousands of small enterprises that built, distribute and service this industry every day.
It has been guided by the National Communications Authority (NCA) and the National Information Technology Agency, and supported by present and successive governmentS, both led by the National Democratic Congress (NDC)and the New Patriotic Party (NPP). which, through liberalisation, licences, reforms, and digitalisation, have created a conducive environment for private capital to invest and scale up their operations in the industry.
MTN’s contributions
“MTN’s contribution to this broader story has been a distinctive one. Since its market entry in 1996, the company has been an active investor in network expansion, fibre deployment, and successive tele-technology generations. It introduced GSM technology in Ghana, pioneered mobile money, listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange, and through mobile money, MTN has supported the financial inclusion of millions of Ghanaians, including informal traders, SMEs, women and young people”, Mr George noted.
He was quick to say that the recently announced $1.1billion network investment programme, “the localisation of 30% of its shareholding to Ghanaians, and the company’s continuous contribution as one of our largest corporate taxpayers, all signal a long-term commitment to this market. And we acknowledged that commitment at the ministry, and we welcome it.
SMP status
That said, MTN has the responsibility of market leadership. MTN currently holds a significant market power (SMP) status in Ghana’s mobile market. That destination, according to the minister, is not a criticism. It is a regulatory recognition of the company’s skill and investment in our country.
So, Mr George urged the telecom giant not to wear it as a scarf but rather wear it as a badge. What it does mean is that the ministry and the public will hold MTN to a higher standard than any other operator on questioning of pricing, quality of service, network availability, transparency, and fair treatment of competitors and partners who depend on your infrastructure.
Legitimate concerns about the cost of data
He noted: “Ghanaian consumers continue to raise legitimate concerns about the cost of data, the consistency of network coverage outside our major cities, dropped calls, and the resolutions of customer complaints. These concerns are real. And your celebration of 30 years doesn’t exempt the operator (MTN) from them.”
The government expects that the next phase of MTN’s $1.1 billion investment will deliver a measurable improvement that consumers can feel in their wallets and on their devices. He believes that they will begin to see that from the third quarter (Q3) of this year.
This improvement, Mr George demanded, must not only be in their coverage report, even though (we like that because the Ghanaian shareholders say they are grateful for the dividend that you pay them).
However, he was reassured by the assurances that he received from MTN, both at the board and management level, that these issues are front-burner issues for the company. So, the sector minister believes that the company would pay the necessary attention to them.
Shared responsibilities
“We have shared responsibilities as we move ahead, and these challenges are not for a single company, and no single company can address them alone, and this requires a shared responsibility across industry, regulators, and government. These include the affordability of access to low-income and rural Ghanaians, the protection of fibre and tower infrastructure from vandalism and unreliable power. This is one of the challenges that policy instruments, including spectrum policy, universal service obligations, and Ghana’s data framework, can address”.
With these challenges in mind, we will continue to invite industry, including MTN, to engage in constructive to these reviews, he stated.
Future opportunities
However, Mr George noted that there are future opportunities and those opportunities look very bright. The next decade he projected would be defined by 5G deployment, artificial intelligence (AI), cloud and data services, internet of things (IoT), and digital public service infrastructure that reaches every Ghanaian.
Ghana has committed itself to this future through the country’s National AI Strategy, its broader digital transformation agenda, and the principle of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). So, the government will continue to create the policy and regulatory environment that allows investments to flow and innovation to thrive; in return, they expect operators to invest not only where it is most profitable, but also where it is most needed, especially in rural telephony.
Roll out 5G
The minister used the event to reassure Ghanaians that the country would soon deploy 5G service, hopefully within the next 10 months. In his words: “I am hoping that by Ghana @70, which is about 10 months away, we should be able to roll out 5G. Hopefully, MTN will get a block when we do the auction. With MTN getting 5G spectrum, we will be able to see the speedy deployment, because we have an ambitious target of 70% population density coverage by Ghana @70. We must bear in mind, like what the MTN Ghana CEO said, I believe that we can do a lot of things together once we put our minds to it”.
Additional spectrum and tech-neutrality granted to MTN
Those of you who were here even before Stephen Blewett, MTN Ghana CEO, came, did you know how long you have been fighting for spectrum? Some spectrum allocations to you for technology neutrality (tech-neutrality) and the challenges you have. I am proud to say that in less than 12 months in government under the leadership of President Mahama, we granted MTN additional spectrum, and we granted it tech-neutrality”, the sector minister stated.
MTN can now participate in Ghana’s 5G space
Mr George also assured that the government is committed to ensuring that MTN plays a critical role in the 5G landscape, explaining that the Cabinet has taken away the exclusivity unanimously, which had previously barred MTN from coming into the 5G spaces.
Warmest congratulations
“On behalf of President Mahama, the government and the people of Ghana, I offer our warmest congratulations on 3o years of service to our beloved country. We acknowledged what has been built. We recognised that many hands have built, and we look forward to the world that lies ahead. May the next 30 years be measured not only by network coverage and shareholders’ returns, which are important, but by the quality of life delivered to every Ghanaian who relies on this industry”, he said.
True Ghanaian story
In his remarks, the CEO of MTN Ghana, Stephen Blewett, said MTN’s 30th anniversary is the true Ghanaian story told through three decades of connection, progress, and possibility.
“This story is not about cables, towers, but people’s lives have been transformed by the simple act of being able to connect”, he added.
Mr Blewett was happy to say that Ghanaians have embraced MTN over the decades, not just as customers but as investor stakeholders. It reminds us that Ghanaians do not see MTN as distant infrastructure; they see it as their trusted network, their platform, their enabler, he stated.
“So, today I speak not only as a CEO, but as a voice of the farmer, the market woman, the ‘trotro’ driver, the student learning alone and the young entrepreneur building a business beyond borders, because connection is never just technical. Connection is an opportunity, connection is dignity, connection is hope”.
He thanked the numerous customers of MTN Ghana for trusting them with their voices, their data, their businesses, and their love.
Mr Blewett also thanked the government and the regulators for their partnership and foresight, and further thanked the media for telling their story honestly and holding them accountable.
He also thanked their partners, suppliers, employees, board and shareholders for walking the 30-year journey with the company.
“And to the MTN family, past and present, you are the people behind the signals, the milestone belongs to you”.
Activities of the anniversary
Activities of the 30th anniversary include mega draws to reward customers for their loyalty, customer gifts, movie premieres, among others.
Brief history of MTN Ghana
The company that is now Scancom PLC was registered in 1994 and started commercial operations in 1996 with network coverage in Accra and Tema, both in the Greater Accra region of Ghana.
The MTN journey started from humble beginnings in an office on Graphic Road, with 20 employees.
In that journey, this company has evolved through different brand names: from Spacefon (the first GSM mobile service provider in Ghana with only a postpaid service), to Spacefon Areeba, then to Areeba and then finally, to MTN.
With these brand name evolutions, our tag lines have also evolved from “Communication for the nation” to “the heart of your world” and finally to “everywhere you go.
By the year 2006 (our 10th anniversary), the company had acquired 2.6million subscribers, making it the largest mobile phone community in the country. It was at this point that the business was acquired by MTN Group.
