Mr Daniel Asare, Acting Chief Enterprise Business Officer at MTN, stated that the company has recognized the need to develop solutions that will enable businesses to operate more efficiently and remain competitive and sustainable.

Mr Asare explained that this is beyond creating opportunities for businesses to succeed and contribute to the development of the Ghanaian economy.

Mr Asare made this known at the launch of the 2023 Edition of the MTN Business SME Month. The long month activities would be held in Accra and Kumasi: SME Activations, Training Sessions for Selected SMEs, Focus Group Discussions, Customer Appreciation Programmes, Training on Chenosis for Young Developers, Presentations on MTN Business Solutions, Product highlights and quizzes and Market Fairs.

These activities will afford MTN the opportunity to get closer to the SME community and offer them relevant digital tools and solutions to help grow and scale up their businesses.

Over the years, SMEs have played a crucial role in the growth and development of Ghana’s economy, and they play a significant role in all economies globally and Ghana’s economy as well.

Mr Asare intimated that there are reports that suggest that they form about 90 per cent of business enterprises in the country and form around 80 per cent of the total employment in Ghana and account for some 60 per cent of the country’s GDP.

Mr Asare noted that several conversations with SMES show that they were looking for ways to reduce costs, improve turnover and increase productivity and efficiency.

“In addition, the need for businesses to digitize has always been an issue but with the kind of challenges we all face, SMEs stand a better chance of surviving when they adopt digitalization and technological solutions.”
Mr Daniel Asare

Mr Asare noted that digitalization could support SME integration into both local and global markets and with innovation and technology, SMEs could compile data and analyze their own operations in new ways, enhancing performance.

“We are aware that SMEs face a financing gap in adopting technology and this is why MTN business is making it easier for SMEs to leverage fintech and innovation to improve their operations at affordable rates.”
Mr Daniel Asare

The Acting Chief Enterprise Business Officer said considering the challenges faced in businesses, there was the need for SMEs to access solutions that were trusted, efficient and resilient to enable them to reap the full benefits of a connected world.

Mr Asare asserted that as a partner for SMEs, MTN Business would throughout this month get closer to SMEs and expose them to our SME Solutions such as SME Plus, Messenger and Business Manager, Microsoft 365 suite and Business Website.

These Solutions offer various Voice, Data and SMS packages that will enable them to reach more customers with their products and services, he said.

SMEs will also be exposed to solutions that allow them to efficiently manage their finances and other administration functions.

Mr Selorm Adadevoh, the Chief Executive Officer of MTN Ghana, on his part, said SMEs present an opportunity for the country to grow and develop.

The CEO noted that it is important for SMEs to get ready and the ecosystem and be competitive to take advantage of the AfCFTA programme.