MTN responds to Telecel and AT Ghana’s planned merger with fresh $1.1bn investment

Leading African telco, the MTN Group, has revealed plans to invest $1.1 billion in its Ghanaian market on infrastructural upgrades. The “accelerated investment” comes as MTN looks to increase its control in one of its leading African markets and enhance subscribers’ network experience.

For MTN, it’s more than increasing its fleet of equipment in Ghana. It’s a statement of its intention to control the West African country’s telecom industry through network strength and subscriber numbers.

It also comes at a time when state-owned telecom operators AT Ghana and Telecel Ghana are planning a strategic merger. The development, first revealed by the Government of Ghana in September, is an attempt to break MTN’s stronghold in the country.  

As of the first half of 2025, MTN Ghana holds a customer base of 30.2 million subscribers, a 73.9% share. Telecel follows with 18.3%, or 7.29 million subscribers, while AT Ghana trails with 3.15 million subscribers, a 7.9% market share. 

By merging Telecel and AT, the two operators will command a combined subscriber base of 10.44 million, giving them a 26.1% share of the market. While this isn’t enough to challenge MTN, it will serve as a starting point to build and solidify their position as the second-largest telecom player in the country.

Once they merge, the Ghanaian government has pledged a $600 million investment into the project over the next 4 years. The government expects the merger to be a pivotal step to reviving the needed competition in the country’s telecom industry and to take on MTN’s dominance. 

Also Read: MTN offers IHS Tower employees 12 months’ salary, other benefits in merger deal.

MTN’s $1.1 bn is a strong response 

The latest investment plan by the leading telco marks a significant infrastructure upgrade from previous years. The $1.1 billion is the biggest yet for MTN in the country, compared to the previous five-year cycle, during which the company invested $1 billion.

It marks a strategic response to the proposed competition buildup by AT Ghana and Telecel. 

According to MTN Group President and CEO, Ralph Mupita, in a media interaction on Friday, the capital expenditure reflects the company’s confidence in its Ghana operations. 

He termed the increase from $1 billion in five years to $1.1 billion in three years as an “accelerated investment” to build “robust infrastructure”. He added that the acceleration “demonstrates that Ghana remains a material operation for the Group.”

Ralph Mupita

As part of the infrastructure upgrade, the telco plans to roll out a minimum of 500 new network sites by the end of 2026. This is an increase from the  50 sites built in 2025 and between 25 and 30 sites in 2024.

MTN Ghana Chief Executive Officer Stephen Blewett said this represents a tenfold increase compared with recent expansions to bridge service gaps and extend broadband coverage.

“Now, we are moving to 500 sites in a single year. And why are we doing that? Because it gives a better quality of service to our customers,” he said.

MTN is also focused on improving the quality of service and broadband coverage, including bridging the country’s rural-urban gap. With this, part of the fund will be deployed to the 5G spectrum to enhance digital services and ensure more Ghanaians are connected.

With this, MTN is solving “one set of (connectivity) issues” faced by the country.

The company is also collaborating with the Bank of Ghana to combat mobile money scams, mostly tagged as social engineering. Aside from infrastructure, MTN is committed to human capital development by equipping Ghanaian youths with digital skills that align with the evolving global economy.

For MTN, the planned rollout represents one of the largest network expansions by the company in Ghana. The investments are tactical plans to extend its market lead amid Telecel and AT Ghana’s merger, with both companies facing operational challenges in recent years.

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