MTN Ghana partners Ghana Association of Persons with Disability to promote digital inclusion

MTN Ghana has reaffirmed its commitment to fostering a digitally inclusive society as part of its 2025 Customer Service Week celebrations, extending its services and engagement to persons with disabilities through a special collaboration with the Ghana National Association of Persons with Disability (GNAPD).

The outreach event, held under the theme “We Listen, We Care, We Do,” focused on improving accessibility and enhancing customer experience for differently abled Ghanaians.

Speaking at the event, Dr. Isaac Mate, General Manager for Sustainability and Shared Value at MTN Ghana, said the initiative reflects the company’s belief that true customer service must be inclusive, empathetic, and action-driven.

“Customer Service Week is a time to celebrate our customers who inspire us to innovate and go the extra mile. This year, we chose to focus on inclusion because inclusion is at the heart of great service,” he stated.

Citing data from the Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA), Dr. Mate highlighted that over 1.3 billion people worldwide live with disabilities, yet many remain excluded from the benefits of mobile connectivity.

“Mobile access is now a gateway to education, healthcare, and employment,” he noted. “If we fail to close this mobile disability gap, we risk leaving millions behind in our digital future.”

Dr. Mate outlined MTN’s three-pronged approach to inclusion, emphasizing accessible services, community engagement, and inclusive employment. He revealed that MTN is prioritising the recruitment and support of staff with disabilities as part of its broader inclusion agenda.

He further tied the company’s efforts to its sustainability agenda, stressing that MTN’s definition of sustainability goes beyond environmental considerations to encompass social empowerment and inclusion.

“We’re investing in renewable energy for our network, recycling old devices, and running digital literacy programs for seniors and persons with disabilities,” Dr. Mate explained. “By doing so, we’re building a future where everyone regardless of ability can thrive.”

National President of the Ghana National Association of the Deaf (GNAD), Mr. Matthew Kubachua, commended MTN Ghana for initiating what he described as a long-awaited collaboration with the deaf community, calling it a “very important step” toward inclusion and accessibility.

“This is wonderful. In the past, we, the deaf people, wanted to collaborate with MTN, but the process kept being postponed. So today, I see this as a very important milestone,” he said.

Mr. Kubachua highlighted that communication remains one of the biggest challenges faced by the deaf community, as most people rely solely on voice-based interactions without considering alternative methods such as sign language.

“One of our main challenges is communication. People often think communication only happens through speech, but there are others who use their hands instead of their voices that’s sign language. We are engaging MTN so they can consider this and allow us to use our preferred communication medium,” he emphasized.

He also appealed to MTN Ghana to go beyond accessibility initiatives and begin employing deaf persons within its customer service departments to further promote inclusion and equal opportunities.

Angela Solomon, Manager for Online and Digital Channels at MTN Ghana, said the initiative forms part of the company’s broader commitment to ensuring every user, regardless of ability, enjoys a seamless experience across MTN’s platforms.

“To assist our customers who communicate through sign language, we have employed a colleague who is fluent in sign language,” Ms. Solomon explained. “Whenever they have challenges whether it’s a SIM swap, PIN reset, or any other service they can reach out to us through our digital channels. We then connect with them on a video call platform where we communicate directly in sign language.”

She added that this innovation has significantly enhanced MTN’s ability to serve deaf customers efficiently and respectfully, ensuring they enjoy the same level of convenience and care as all other subscribers.