MTN Ghana has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Ashesi University to strengthen skills development for Ghana’s emerging gaming industry.
Chief Executive Officer of MTN Ghana, Stephen Blewett, said the partnership was aimed at bringing academia closer to the telecommunications company to help develop the skills needed to create games locally.
Speaking during an interview session at the MTN DigiFest 2026 Gaming Conference in Accra, Mr Blewett said skills development was essential to building a sustainable gaming industry in Ghana.
“We need to develop these skills with people to develop the games,” he said.
According to him, the complexity of the gaming industry made partnerships with academic institutions important to developing the expertise required by people who want to create games.
He said MTN could provide resources and support, but developers also needed access to the relevant skills to create games that could contribute to the growth of the industry.
Mr Blewett said the partnership formed part of MTN Ghana’s broader strategy to support gaming and establish it as a key component of its digital offerings.
“Already, gaming is our biggest growth area. Year on year, gaming is the biggest for MTN from a digital strategy,” he said.
He said MTN Ghana’s long-term strategy was to help build the gaming industry to a point where it became a key part of the company’s digital offerings.
Mr Blewett also emphasised the need for Ghana and Africa to develop their own gaming ecosystem rather than relying entirely on games produced elsewhere.
“If we don’t adopt it as MTN and as Ghanaians, then we end up with games that from other parts of the world,” he said.
“Nothing wrong with that. But then we’re left behind. We don’t want to be left behind. We want to be the centre for developing that.”
He said the gaming industry presented opportunities for people to develop games, create jobs and generate income, while artificial intelligence could further support developers by assisting in the creation of games.
Mr Blewett said MTN Ghana was also investing in network infrastructure to provide the connectivity required for gaming, particularly as gamers required mobile connectivity with low latency.
He disclosed that the company’s 5G licence, concluded through the regulator, was costing more than US$200 million, while MTN was also rolling out 500 additional sites to expand access to its network.
He said MTN’s investment in gaming was also focused on providing access to the market for local developers.
“People develop, they have great games, but where do you sell it? How do you get it? And that’s what MTN provides,” he said.
With about 31 million customers, he said MTN could provide developers with access to people who could use their games.
Mr Blewett said gaming should also be viewed beyond entertainment, pointing to its potential in education, e-sports, communication and interactive learning.
He said younger people increasingly learnt through experience, making gaming a potential tool for helping them engage with educational content.
He also identified multiplayer games and gamification as areas with potential, noting that young people could communicate while gaming and that games could be used to teach and engage users.
Mr Blewett described Africa’s gaming industry as being at an early stage, saying there was significant potential for its development, particularly with the growing role of artificial intelligence.
The MTN DigiFest 2026 Gaming Conference brought together gamers and other participants to examine how Ghana and Africa could develop and own a stronger gaming industry.
