MTN Ghana Champions Digital Transformation at Africa Tech Festival 2025

MTN Ghana has reaffirmed its commitment to accelerating Ghana’s digital transformation through innovation, strategic investment, and cross-sector collaboration.

Speaking at the Africa Tech Festival 2025 held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre in South Africa, the Chief Digital Officer Ibrahim Misto outlined MTN’s platform-driven strategy, emphasizing the company’s evolution beyond traditional connectivity into a comprehensive digital ecosystem.

Three-Platform Strategy for Africa’s Digital Future

Mr Misto highlighted MTN’s three-platform business model, anchored on connectivity, fintech, and infrastructure (Infraco).  Connectivity remains the foundation, fintech drives financial inclusion and innovation, and Infraco represents next-generation infrastructure, including AI-enabled data centers designed to support African large language models and advanced digital services.

“We are building AI-capable data centers across the continent that enable innovation, support local data sovereignty, and power the next generation of digital services,” Misto said.

He further stressed that connectivity extends beyond urban centers, with MTN accelerating home broadband access to bridge the digital divide and enhance economic participation.

This approach, he explained, aligns with Ghana’s digital economy agenda and positions MTN to meet the demands of emerging markets in Africa.

Building the Infrastructure of the Future

The Infraco strategy focuses on establishing AI-capable data centers strategically located across the continent. These centers provide the computing backbone for African AI applications, enable local data sovereignty, and support the continent’s growing digital economy.

He  noted that these investments are designed to improve productivity, drive cost efficiency, and create new revenue streams while maintaining consistent growth.

“The real question for us is how to keep disrupting ourselves, how to stay efficient, continue innovating, and find new revenue opportunities that sustain long-term growth,” he said.

Empowering Innovation and Developers

MTN Ghana continues to nurture developers, entrepreneurs, and SMEs. Its Chenosis API marketplace allows seamless integration of MTN services such as mobile payments, identity verification, and geolocation into third-party applications, accelerating local innovation.

The company is also supporting Ghana’s DigiFest, enabling developers to build AI-powered solutions and voice assistants in local languages.

Investments in AI sandbox environments allow innovators to test and scale solutions safely before deployment, ensuring emerging digital products are locally developed, secure, and market-ready.

Supporting SMEs and Digital Entrepreneurship

Mr Misto emphasized that the future of Africa’s digital economy relies on small and medium enterprises (SMEs). MTN Ghana has partnered with Absa Bank Ghana and Nova Business School to provide mini-MBA programs that equip entrepreneurs with practical digital and business management skills.

“We’re not only building infrastructure, we’re building people. By equipping SMEs with the right tools, we ensure they can participate fully in the digital economy,” Misto said.

Sustainability and Digital-First Systems

MTN Ghana is modernizing its IT and network systems to become digital-first, energy-efficient, and sustainable. Over 80% of network sites are powered by solar energy, supporting the company’s commitment to net-zero emissions by 2040.

Investing in Ghana’s Digital Economy

Since 2021, MTN Ghana has invested over US$1 billion in network expansion, fiber rollout, and digital inclusion initiatives, laying the foundation for a robust and inclusive digital economy.

“The future of telecom lies in collaboration and empowerment. By combining infrastructure with local innovation, we can unlock Africa’s full digital potential,” Misto concluded.

The Africa Tech Festival 2025 convened leading policymakers, investors, and technology experts from across the continent to explore new pathways for Africa’s digital transformation.

Present at this year’s Africa Tech Festival were Sylvia Owusu-Ankomah, CEO of the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications; Georgina Asare-Fiagbenu, Senior Manager of Corporate Communications at MTN Ghana; and Nana Kofi Asare, General Manager of Legal and Regulatory at MTN Ghana.