The Northern Regional Minister, Mr Ali Adolf John Mburidiba, has called on MTN Ghana to improve its network coverage in rural communities to enhance communication, business activities and access to digital services in the region.
He said reliable connectivity was essential to the development of education, healthcare, agriculture, entrepreneurship and security, particularly as digital technology had become central to socio-economic development.
The minister made the call in Tamale last Friday when the Senior Manager in charge of Base Station Subsystems (Radio and Core Network) of MTN Ghana, Mr Emmanuel Afutu, paid a courtesy call on him at the Northern Regional Coordinating Council (NRCC).
Mr Afutu was in the region to engage stakeholders on the operations of the MTN network and strengthen collaboration to improve service delivery.
Mr Mburidiba commended MTN Ghana for its contribution to the socio-economic development of the country, particularly through its interventions in education, entrepreneurship, digital skills development and community development.
He, however, noted that residents and businesses in some rural communities continued to experience difficulties accessing reliable network services.
“Your outfit needs to solve those network challenges in those areas for them to also have a stable network to effectively run their businesses,” he emphasised.
The minister said poor network connectivity could negatively affect communication, education, commerce, financial transactions and access to information, among other socio-economic activities.
He said improved connectivity would create opportunities for businesses and young people to participate more effectively in the digital economy.
Mr Mburidiba, therefore, urged MTN to intensify efforts to expand its network infrastructure and improve service quality across the region, particularly in hard-to-reach communities.
He assured MTN of the NRCC’s commitment to working closely with the company to address challenges affecting network operations and promote initiatives that would contribute to the development of the region.
For his part, Mr Afutu said the tour formed part of activities marking MTN Ghana’s 30th anniversary and provided the company with an opportunity to engage stakeholders, assess network operations and strengthen partnerships with institutions and communities across the region.
He noted that MTN’s corporate social responsibility initiatives included scholarships for students, training programmes for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and support for digital skills development through the training of young people under the One Million Coders initiative.
Mr Afutu said the company had also supported educational infrastructure through the provision of facilities such as dormitories.
He added that MTN was collaborating with security agencies to protect customers, network infrastructure and telecommunication services.
Mr Afutu assured the minister that MTN would work closely with the NRCC and other stakeholders to address network challenges in rural communities across the region and the country.
FROM YAHAYA NUHU NADAA, TAMALE
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