MTN Ghana has announced a renewed drive to accelerate the nation’s artificial intelligence (AI) and digital transformation efforts, with Chief Digital Officer Ibrahim Misto calling for stronger collaboration across Africa’s technology ecosystem.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Africa Tech Festival 2025, Misto said MTN’s digital roadmap is built around three priorities: AI adoption, modern infrastructure, and Ghanaian talent development foundations he believes are critical if the country is to compete in the next wave of global innovation.
“Africa must develop its own intelligence. The longer we wait, the wider the AI gap becomes,” Misto cautioned.
MTN Pushes for African Ownership of AI
A central theme of MTN’s strategy is the creation of AI tools built within Africa, grounded in local context and designed to solve real-world regional challenges.
Misto underscored the importance of ensuring that emerging technologies reflect Africa’s diverse languages, cultural needs, and business environments.
“AI that understands us must come from us,” he said.
“That’s the path to real digital independence.”
Building the Workforce to Compete Globally
To support this ambition, MTN Ghana is scaling up its tech-focused training programmes, including the Technology Innovation Hub and the One Million Coders initiative.
The programs aim to equip young Ghanaians with skills in AI engineering, data science, software development, and digital product design.
Misto said the goal is to prepare a generation capable of creating solutions that stand shoulder to shoulder with global competitors.
Backing Startups to Speed Innovation
MTN Ghana is also deepening its engagement with local startups, offering access to digital tools, mentorship, and commercial pathways to help entrepreneurs scale faster.
According to Misto, startups are vital to Ghana’s digital progress because they bring “speed, creativity, and solutions that larger companies often can’t move quickly enough to build.”
From Telecom to Full Digital Powerhouse
MTN Ghana is undergoing a strategic evolution, moving beyond connectivity into a broad digital services company.
New offerings in the pipeline include:
Smart home automation,
Digital security services,
Next-generation entertainment platforms, and
AI-powered tools for businesses.
This shift, Misto said, reflects the changing needs of households and enterprises increasingly dependent on intelligent services.
Energy Crisis Threatens AI Momentum
Despite optimism, Misto was clear about the continent’s biggest obstacle: energy.
He warned that without reliable and affordable power, Africa’s digital ambitions especially data-intensive AI applications could stall.
“The cost of intelligence depends on the cost of energy. We cannot power data centres on unstable grids,” he stressed.
“Government and industry must fix this together.
Africa Tech Festival Spotlights Regional Progress
The 2025 Africa Tech Festival welcomed over 15,000 attendees, underscoring the continent’s rising interest in AI, cloud, fintech, and digital transformation. The event provided a platform for industry leaders to discuss the future of African technology and explore new areas of innovation.
Ghana Positioned for a Digital Breakthrough
With major investments underway and a strong focus on skills and local innovation, Misto said MTN Ghana is ready to help steer the country into a new era of technological leadership.
“Ghana has the ambition, the talent, and the momentum,” he said.
“Now we have to build it together.”
Enock Akonnor is an experienced Ghanaian journalist, based in Kumasi and currently serves as the CEO and Managing Editor of www.leakyghana.com.
With a wealth of expertise built over many years in the media industry, he has earned a solid reputation as one of Ghana’s most sought-after journalists.
Contact:
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✉️ enockakonnor2013@gmail.com
