Accra, Ghana//-MTN has reaffirmed its commitment to creating shared value in Ghana for the benefit of the country.
It is committed to improving the lives of Ghanaians through appropriate and sustainable socioeconomic interventions, while empowering communities and promoting digital inclusion through social initiatives.
Over the last five years, we spent about $1 billion equivalent in capital expenditure. We even expend $1.1 billion now in the next three years, the MTN Group’s President and CEO, Ralph Mupita, said recently.
“It was an acceleration of investment that excites us. We think there is an opportunity for digital inclusion and financial inclusion of significant”.
Economy
Since its inception in 1996, MTN Ghana has had a significant impact on the Ghanaian economy through contributions to Ghana’s long-run economic and fiscal stability and gross domestic product (GDP), employment creation, promotion of digital and financial inclusion, promotion of investment and innovation in the wider economy, and social investments, among others.
The company also continues to impact almost all the sectors of the Ghanaian economy. MTN Ghana remains a development partner to the government through its contribution to the fiscal and socio-economic development of the country.
Commitment to tax obligations
The company takes its statutory obligations seriously and ensures its commitment to its tax obligations which has been recognised several years running where it has been adjudged “the number 1 taxpayer” and “the largest taxpayer in the country”.
Both the Ghana Investment Promotion Council (GIPC) and the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) have bestowed this accolade on MTN Ghana.
MTN Ghana’s contribution to Ghana’s fiscal development in 2025 was significant, reflecting its role as a responsible corporate citizen.
During this period, the company paid a total of GH₵10.5 billion in direct and indirect taxes, along with GHS1.3 billion in fees and levies to government agencies, MTN Ghana’s 2025 financial statements revealed.
These substantial financial contributions support national development and highlight MTN’s commitment to the country’s socioeconomic growth, complementing its wide range of community-focused initiatives throughout the year.
Major collector of Communication Service Tax
MTN Ghana, through its MTN network, also collected more than 70% of the overall Communication Service Tax (CST).
In 2025, Ghana’s CST remains a 5% levy on charges for electronic communications services, including prepaid airtime and data, paid by consumers.
Applicable to service users, the tax is collected by providers and paid to the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to support the Consolidated Fund.
Major Aspects of CST in 2025
- Rate: The rate is 5% of the charge for electronic communication services.
- Application: It applies to both individual and corporate users of electronic communication services.
- Prepaid Services: The 5% CST is levied at the point of purchase for prepaid recharge cards.
- Scope: Services include voice, data, and internet services provided by electronic communication service providers.
- Administration: Service providers are required to file returns and pay the tax to the GRA, usually within a month following the end of the accounting period.
This tax is aimed at boosting domestic revenue generation, separate from other levies such as VAT and the National Health Insurance Levy (NHIL).
Besides, MTN Ghana recognises that its role in Ghana’s economic growth and future goes beyond its statutory obligations.
As the industry leader, MTN Ghana has a role to play in deepening the digital ecosystem and ensuring connectivity for all, including rural communities, as part of supporting the Government’s ambition for a digital Ghana.
Provision of key telecoms services
Furthermore, MTN Ghana, which provides a wide range of mobile and broadband services in the country, is promoting digital inclusion, making it possible for millions of Ghanaians to benefit from the exchange of ideas and information.
It also provides an avenue for reduced communication costs and improved access to education, healthcare, financial services, and others, which are critical for the socio-economic development of Ghana.
It is an indisputable fact that mobile services increase productivity by improving the availability of information and reducing transaction costs, and enable businesses and markets to operate more effectively and efficiently.
Supporting investment and innovation
These services provided by MTN Ghana support investment and innovation in the economy. For instance, the provision of network equipment and the creation of business services and applications lead to greater economic growth.
In 2025, MTN Ghana heavily invested in network infrastructure, including a capital expenditure of GH₵6.4 billion to enhance 4G coverage to 99.2% of the population.
The company met its target of investing $1 billion between 2021 and 2025 and announced a new $1.1 billion investment for the next three years to expand 4G/5G, data centres, and AI infrastructure.
Key 2025 Network and Strategic Developments
- Expansion & Upgrades: Over $300 million was invested specifically in 2025 to improve service quality and network resilience.
- Infrastructure Growth: MTN Ghana built 50 new sites in 2025, setting the stage for an ambitious rollout of 500 new sites planned for 2026.
- Subscriber Growth: By the end of 2025, the network expanded its reach to 31.2 million subscribers, with 19.9 million active data users.
- Performance: MTN Ghana was recently recognised as the best-performing operation across the entire MTN Group in 2025, leading to its reclassification as a top-three major subsidiary, alongside South Africa and Nigeria.
- Sustainability: Investment efforts focused on achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2040 as part of the overall “Ambition 2025” strategy.
Following this high-investment year, the company is focusing on deploying 500 new network sites in 2026 to enhance customer experience.
Indeed, since day one, Scancom Ltd (MTN Ghana) , which was incorporated in 1994 as a private limited liability company but began operations in Ghana in 1996, has never put off its pedal to the metal on network investments.
MTN has always seen Ghana as a market to invest in because of the confidence we have in the governance and political stability, policy predictability and consistent economic growth over the years, Mr Mupita told journalists in one of his visits to Accra.
This appetite has driven MTN’s investment decisions to invest billions of US dollars in infrastructure since its inception.
Social investments
It is MTN Ghana’s fervent belief that businesses exist today for reasons beyond financial returns. This is what has fueled its consistent commitment to invest in education, health, and economic empowerment through the MTN Foundation, with over 187 projects since inception.
The Foundation, which was set up in 2007 as a single-purpose vehicle to drive all MTN Ghana’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives in the country, currently has three focus areas- Health, Education and Economic Empowerment.
It is set up as a separate legal entity with its own independent Board of Directors and Patrons who oversee its operations.
The Foundation’s commitment is centred on the socio-economic development of the country through the unveiling of appropriate and sustainable social interventions in communities across the country.
The Foundation, which is funded by a percentage of profit after tax (PAT) from MTN Ghana, hopes that its initiatives will strengthen and deepen the collective efforts of key stakeholders who are working towards a healthy nation.
Since its establishment, the Foundation has invested over $13.5 million in 157 projects in its focus areas, which are estimated to have impacted over four million people across the country, according to senior officials of the Foundation.
Out of the total number of projects, the Foundation has invested in over 87 education projects, and they include the ongoing construction of a 60-bed maternity and neonatal centre for the Keta Municipal Hospital and a STEM robotics lab for the Mamfe Girls’ School.
Through these and other investments made in universities and other higher learning institutions across the country, digital inclusion and innovation are being sustained.
Additionally, as far back as 2002, Scancom Plc, the parent company of MTN Ghana, had already set up the Spacefon Scholarship Scheme, which has now become the MTN BRIGHT Scholarship programme.
This scholarship scheme has helped thousands of needy and brilliant students all over the country since the days of Spacefon, and its commitment continues in this respect.
Overall, about 79% of the Foundation’s yearly budget funded ICT projects. Education and human empowerment remained key pillars of MTN Foundation’s 2025 plan.
Consequently, MTN increased its scholarship programme from 200 to 500 students nationwide, providing financial aid to young people in need and supporting their completion of higher education.
Each scholarship package included laptops to ensure students had the necessary tools for success in a digital learning environment.
Furthermore, the Foundation has executed more than 52 health projects, as well as numerous smaller initiatives in various communities to improve lives in all 16 regions of Ghana, since its establishment.
The Foundation also focused on health in 2025 through various health campaigns like the national Save-a-Life blood donation campaign, which collected 6,620 units of blood for partner hospitals across Ghana, enhancing healthcare delivery and patient outcomes.
Promoting Digital Inclusion and ICT Development
In promoting digital inclusion and ICT development, MTN Ghana, through the MTN Foundation, expanded access to digital infrastructure and skills nationwide by establishing an ICT Centre at Yilo Krobo Senior High School, deploying computers and LED screens to ICT hubs and technical institutes and providing robotics kits to public libraries.
The Foundation’s Digital Skills for Digital Youth programme reached about 5,200 young people, offering practical digital and entrepreneurial training to enhance employability and operations.
Supporting SMEs and the Creation of Employments
Beyond that, the company continued its focus on small and medium enterprise (SME) development through the SME Support Programme.
“Over 200 micro, small and medium-sized enterprises received financial and capacity-building assistance, with a special focus on women, youth and people with disabilities who own businesses”, the CEO of MTN Ghana, Stephen Blewett, disclosed.
The company also placed increased emphasis on SME development, helping them build the skills needed to scale their businesses, he added.
Through its ecosystem of partnerships and suppliers, the company has also generated thousands of jobs for the youth while thousands of Ghanaians are being employed by MTN Ghana and its MobileMoney Fintech Limited subsidiary in the West African country.
Deepening Financial Inclusion
The company expanded digital and financial inclusion through increased network coverage, device financing programmes, digital skills training, and partnerships aimed at promoting the adoption of mobile money and advanced digital services among underserved groups such as women and rural communities.
Economic and Financial Journalist and President of Journalists for Business Advocacy (JBA), Suleiman Mustapha, hailed the facilitation of money transfers and payment of utilities between individuals and across sectors has become enormous.
Gender Inclusion
On the social front, MTN Ghana, as the industry leader, continued to advance its inclusion agenda. Female representation in the company’s workforce exceeded 43%, highlighting its commitment to diversity and equal opportunity.
Advancing ESG Commitments,
In 2025, the telecoms company stated in its financial report that it continued to advance its Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) commitments, reflecting its strategic focus on long term sustainability, operational resilience, and value creation.
“We achieved meaningful progress in our environmental initiatives by accelerating renewable energy deployment and improving energy efficiency across our network.
Approximately 50% of MTN Ghana’s energy consumption is now sourced from solar, reducing carbon emissions while enhancing operational reliability and cost efficiency”, the financial report stated.
Bottom line
The MTN Ghana Foundation delivered substantial impact through education, health, and economic empowerment initiatives.
These efforts support national progress, enhance livelihoods and equip young people with the skills necessary for Ghana’s long-term socioeconomic growth.
Indeed, MTN Ghana prides itself on its high ethical standards, upon which its operations are run. So, it is still sticking to its commitment of creating shared value for all Ghanaians despite this tight period.
By Masahudu Ankiilu Kunateh, African Eye Report
