The Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Hon. Samuel Nartey George, has engaged management of MTN Ghana over a technical fault that disrupted the company’s implementation of reduced data prices, including the highly anticipated ‘399 bundle’.
The issue, which affected multiple platforms, delayed access to new data packages and caused significant customer frustration.
In a meeting with the telecom provider, Hon. George demanded swift resolution of the glitch while calling for more transparent communication with the public.
“The MTN team, led by Chief Corporate Services and Sustainability Officer Ms. Adwoa Afriyie Wiafe, explained that the disruptions were not due to a security breach, but a systemic failure that hit three of the company’s core services upon going live”
Ministry for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations
The engagement followed a wave of complaints from customers who reported being unable to purchase bundles or even locate the new pricing options on the app or USSD platforms.
According to MTN, the problem occurred despite the systems having passed all User Acceptance Testing (UAT) in a sandbox environment prior to the public rollout. When pushed live, the main charging service and two dependent systems crashed, making data purchases impossible for a significant number of subscribers.
Ms. Afriyie Wiafe indicated that the breakdown created inconsistent messaging on user interfaces and in some cases blocked visibility of the 399 bundle altogether. The large-volume bundle had been designed to offer better value to heavy data users, including content creators, remote workers, and students.
She reassured the Ministry that no external breach had occurred and that restoration efforts were already underway.
Minister Demands Accountability and Speed
Hon. Samuel Nartey George urged MTN to intensify its system configuration work and ensure the affected services are restored quickly.
“I’ve personally taken to social media to keep citizens informed,” he said, stressing the need for proactive engagement to avoid reputational damage and customer unrest. “Transparency is key when things go wrong. Our citizens deserve timely updates when services fail.”
The Minister expressed optimism that the full restoration of services could be achieved by midnight, urging the telecom giant to meet its own commitment of delivering affordable digital services to Ghanaians without unnecessary delays.
He emphasized that while technical failures may be unavoidable at times, the company’s response – both technically and in terms of customer communication – must reflect its responsibility to the public.
Prior to the meeting, MTN Ghana issued a public notification confirming the service disruption. The company disclosed that while launching a new offer to provide 15% additional data volumes, a major technical issue occurred that affected the ability to purchase data bundles.
“We recognize the importance of staying connected and sincerely apologize for the inconvenience this may cause,” MTN stated.
The Corporate Communications Department assured customers that technical teams were working urgently to resolve the problem and restore services. The company reiterated its commitment to providing updates and promised that the full functionality of its data platforms would soon resume.
Government Monitors Stability
The Ministry of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring affordable and uninterrupted digital access across Ghana.
It pledged continued engagement with MTN and other service providers to guarantee efficiency in delivery and accountability to the Ghanaian public.
“The digitization of our economy cannot succeed if service providers do not match infrastructure with reliability. We will not compromise on quality, affordability, or transparency”
Hon. Samuel Nartey George, Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations
While the disruptions may be technical in nature, the incident raised fresh concerns about how technology partners handle high-impact rollouts in critical sectors. With digital services now at the core of education, commerce, and communication, any glitch – especially during major service transitions – can have wide-reaching effects.
The Ministry assured the public that it would closely monitor developments to ensure that the corrective measures promised by MTN are fully and promptly implemented, and that no recurrence is tolerated.
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