MTN Ghana Elevated to Major Subsidiary Status Within MTN Group
MTN Ghana has been elevated to major subsidiary status within the MTN Group, underscoring the company’s strong growth trajectory, operational performance and long-term strategic importance to the telecoms giant.
With the upgrade, Ghana joins South Africa and Nigeria as one of only three major subsidiaries across MTN Group’s 18 operating markets on the continent.
The decision follows MTN Ghana’s emergence as the best-performing operation across the Group in 2025, after clinching the Overall Winner award under MTN’s internal Million Dollar Challenge—a flagship performance benchmark that evaluates operational excellence, customer experience and strategic execution across all markets.
The Group Chief Executive Officer, Ralph Mupita, announced the development during a high-level visit to Ghana last week, where he engaged with the board, management and key stakeholders.
Accompanied by the Group’s Senior Vice-President for Markets, Ebenezer Asante, Mr Mupita commended the board, Chief Executive Officer of MTN Ghana, Stephen Blewett, and the management team for what he described as exemplary leadership, governance and disciplined execution.
According to Mr Mupita, MTN Ghana’s consistent performance reinforces Ghana’s strategic relevance within the Group, with achievements that now serve as a benchmark for other MTN operations.
Award-winning performance
MTN Ghana’s recognition as the 2025 Overall Winner of the Million Dollar Challenge was formally celebrated at the MTN Group Global Leadership Gathering (GLG) 2026, held from February 2 to 4 in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The awards reflected strong performance across several business pillars, with MTN Ghana securing top honours in the Connectivity – Enterprise category. Its fintech subsidiary, MobileMoney LTD (MML), also emerged as a standout performer, winning in the Fintech category.
Chief Executive Officer of MML, Shaibu Haruna, was named Fintech CEO of the Year and placed first runner-up for the overall Best CEO of the Year award, highlighting the growing scale and influence of MTN’s fintech operations in Ghana.
Additional accolades, including Largest and Most Valuable Platform awards in both connectivity and fintech, further underscored Ghana’s importance within MTN Group’s broader portfolio.
“This recognition goes beyond awards. It reflects sustained commitment, strategic clarity and operational discipline, which have positioned Ghana at the centre of MTN’s success across the continent,” Mr Mupita said.
Engagement with regulators and government
Mr Mupita described his visit as both symbolic and strategic, noting the importance of engaging regulators and policymakers early in 2026.
As part of the visit, MTN Group paid courtesy calls on the Bank of Ghana, the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC), and the Minister for Communications, Digital Technology and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George.
Discussions focused on strengthening collaboration, reaffirming MTN’s long-term investment commitment to Ghana and aligning the company’s strategy with national development priorities, particularly in digital infrastructure and financial inclusion.
Over the past five years, MTN Ghana has invested approximately US$1 billion in capital expenditure. The company plans to invest an additional US$1.1 billion over the next three years, signalling continued confidence in Ghana’s digital economy.
Infrastructure and digital inclusion
MTN Ghana currently operates more than 5,000 telecom sites nationwide and plans to roll out at least 500 additional sites in 2026, a significant increase compared to about 50 sites added in the previous year.
The expansion is aimed at improving service quality, addressing network congestion linked to rapid urban expansion, and extending coverage to peri-urban and rural communities.
Engagements with the sector ministry also covered the potential allocation of 5G spectrum. Mr Mupita noted that access to 5G would support enhanced home connectivity through Fixed Wireless Access (FWA), enabling households to access high-speed broadband for education, business and entertainment.
Fintech expansion and risk management
On the fintech front, MTN Group said it is working with the Bank of Ghana to expand mobile money services beyond traditional USSD-based platforms, while strengthening systems to combat fraud and scams.
Artificial intelligence is expected to play a central role in improving fraud detection and prevention across the mobile money ecosystem.
Mr Mupita emphasised that fraud is a global industry challenge, requiring technology-driven solutions and collaboration between telecom operators, regulators and financial institutions.
Resilience amid economic pressures
Mr Asante highlighted MTN Ghana’s resilience over the past decade, noting that the company has continued to invest despite inflationary pressures, currency depreciation and macroeconomic shocks, including the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme.
He attributed this resilience to robust financial and operational models designed to manage capital intensity while mitigating foreign exchange risks, supported by close collaboration with the central bank.
Looking ahead, MTN Ghana said it remains focused on maintaining flexibility across different economic cycles, while accelerating infrastructure deployment and deepening its contribution to Ghana’s digital and financial ecosystem.
