MTN Ghana, has cut sod for the construction of the Ghana ICT Hub as part of the broader Ghana Innovation Hub project.
The leading telecom company has therefore committed US$25 million to support the project.
The initiative falls in line with MTN's broader objectives of leading digital solutions for Africa's progress and its commitment towards supporting Ghana's digital agenda.
Speaking at the sod-cutting ceremony, Board Chairman for MTN Ghana, Dr Ishmael Yamson, underscored the integral role digital innovation and telecommunications play in today's world.
He commended MTN for the critical role they have played in Ghana's socio-economic development.
He also called on other stakeholders to collectively help in building Ghana.
On his part, Selorm Adadevoh, CEO of MTN Ghana, said the establishment of the Ghana ICT Hub would power Ghana to be West Africa's ICT leader through innovation and digital skills.
"Over the past 25 years, MTN has been at the forefront of accelerating socio-economic growth. Critical to us has been the promotion of ICT and digital skills training and development across the country through the provision of educational resources as well as infrastructure development across the country to facilitate learning and knowledge transfer," he said.
"MTN's decision to partner and support the establishment of the Ghana ICT Hub falls right in line with our Ambition 2025 roadmap of leading digital solutions for Africa's progress. Our investment in the Ghana ICT Hub among other ground-breaking digital and ICT focused initiatives and interventions goes to show that MTN is at the heart of accelerating national development and socio-economic development," he added.
The Minister for Communications and Digitalisation, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, expressed gratitude to the MTN Group and MTN Ghana leadership for partnering with the government in achieving its digitalisation agenda.
"The decision by MTN to build an ICT hub in Ghana as part of its 25th anniversary and committing to it was very critical towards realising Ghana's digital agenda. Your continuous commitment to be at the frontier of championing digital innovation in Ghana is extremely commendable and worthy of emulation. The establishment of the Ghana ICT Hub will facilitate the paradigm shift needed to accelerate Ghana's progress with the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals," she said.
The Ghana ICT Hub, which will be the first of its kind in the West Africa sub region, will train over 200,000 people with ICT skills and generate over 100,000 jobs over the first three years.
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Additionally, it will provide office spaces and meeting venues for over 100 tech start-ups and tech companies all in a bid to serve as a catalyst for Ghana's digitalisation agenda.
The Ghana ICT Hub will contribute to boosting Ghana's ICT and digital ecosystem by providing infrastructural development and resources to enhance ICT skills training and development across the country. The Innovation Hub has two other projects aside the Ghana ICT Hub - the Accra Innovation City and the Ghana Education Platform.
When completed, the Ghana ICT Hub will become the fulcrum of human capital and ICT skills development, accelerate Ghana's ICT ecosystem and facilitate job creation and continue to set the pace in ICT and telecommunications infrastructure development.
The event was attended by government officials including the CEO of Accra Digital Centre, Kwadwo Baah Agyemang; South African High Commissioner to Ghana, Grace Mason; Minister for Works & Housing, Francis Asenso-Boakye; Member of Parliament for Okaikwei South, Dakoa Newman, board members of the Ghana Digital Centres Limited as well as a cross-section of MTN staff.
