Accra, Ghana, September 9, 2020//-At the time that business strategies and plans of most companies are being hampered by the devastating COVID-19 pandemic, MTN Ghana has announced that it is on track to become a fully-fledged digital operator by the end of 2023.

The importance of digital operation is being heightened by the pandemic which the telecoms service provider is capitalizing on to speed up its complete digital transformation.

The company’s evolution from voice, data through enterprise to wholesale would be bolstered by the expansion of its mobile money (MoMo) ecosystem through partnerships to become the digital player.

Drivers of the digital agenda

The Chief Executive Officer of MTN Ghana, Selorm Adadevoh, who is driving the transformation agenda, maintained that the company is ready to deliver on the digital agenda based on solid investments it has made in technology and network infrastructure expansion projects over the years.

Particularly for this year, an amount of $114.1 million is being invested into the network to facilitate the roll out of 300 LTE (4G) sites; an upgrade of 737 3G sites and 450 2G sites across the country.

During the year, it is expected to roll out 280 2G, 557 3G, 900 4G and 100 rural telephony sites across the length and breadth of the West African country.

“We have enhanced our offering in the Home and SME broadband segment with 100,000 connected on wireless broadband in just over 12 months,” Mr Adadevoh added.

He said the role of MoMo in enabling the digital economy, could not be overemphasized, describing it as the “payments glue” that made digital come to life, adding that the MTN Ghana is building customer confidence in the MoMo service delivery by reducing fraud.

Mr Adadevoh continued:  “Our vision is to lead the delivery of a bold new digital world to our customers and our mission is to make our customers’ lives a whole lot brighter.

We are at the forefront of technological and digital change. In 2019, we invested GH¢1,112 million in our network”

MTN Ghana is also investing $2.5 million in artificial intelligence (AI) to beef up its MoMo platform to enable it win the fight against mobile money fraud in the country.

He explained to editors and senior journalists at this year’s Editors’ and Stakeholders’ virtual Forum in Accra that the telecom giant is also leveraging the strength of its financial technology (fintech) and some six pillars to “deliver a bold new digital world to customers.”

The six pillars Mr Adadevoh mentioned are- Best Customer Experience, Returns and Efficiency Focus, Ignite Commercial Performance, Growth through Data and Digital, Hearts and Minds and Technology Excellence – (BRIGHT).

“2019 marked the ‘Year of the customer’ for MTN Ghana and in 2020 we are building on that foundation as we transition from a traditional mobile telecommunications operator to an emerging digital operator.

In line with our transition journey, MTN Ghana has declared 2020 as the ‘Year of the Customer: The Digital Experience’ with a focus on digitalization as a tool to enhance customer experience as well as create value for our shareholders”, he stressed.

These investments according to him would make significant contributions to enable individuals and business in both the rural and urban parts of Ghana to enjoy the best experience and also enjoy the benefits of a modern connected lifestyle.

Furthermore, MTN Ghana, a subsidiary of the MTN Group, a leading emerging market mobile operator is excited by the growth and adoption of digital technologies in the country.

This is augmented by an exhilarating youth opportunity in data, MoMo and digital adoption. Supported by a strong brand presence and positive reputation, the telecoms giant would keep soaring.

The telecoms services provider is upbeat about its compelling investment case as it continues to maintain a strong position in the Ghanaian market with strong revenue growth and leadership in core service delivery.

As the second largest West African economy with a strong GDP growth and improved macro environment, MTN Ghana continues to see several opportunities in digital and the financial services space, that it is confident would lead to further acceleration of growth.

Pedal on innovation

Besides, maintaining its relevance and to keep up with the dynamism of the telecommunications industry, the company would continue to innovate, create and build meaningful relationships that would improve customer experience and brighten lives.

Its focus on the customer is paramount and drives continuous innovation. The company’s various customer value management (CVM) initiatives and pro-consumer activities coupled with improved network augmented subscriber growth.

If MTN Ghana becomes a full digital operator by the end of 2023, the country will benefit tremendously from it through diversify economy, open up markets, generate competition and promote economies of scope and scale, and digital inclusion.

Experts in the industry maintain that the essence of digitization is to use technology to improve the way things are done to bring about effectiveness, efficiency and affordability.

There are levels of digitization. The change from the use of typewriters to computers and the use of more sophisticated computers in business, media and data analysis are all part of the lower levels of digitization.

The level of access to digital services, application and use of digital products and services, affordability, reliability and ease of access to support infrastructure such as efficient internet systems are some of the measures used to assess the level of digitization in the country.