MTN Group Chief Executive Officer Ralph Mupita has highlighted the urgent need to equip Africa’s youth with digital skills, describing them as a “foundational capability” on par with traditional literacy and numeracy.
Speaking during the MTN Bright Conversations series in Accra, Mupita said, “From there comes relevance, from there comes the skills to build their own businesses,” urging parents and educators to prioritize coding and artificial intelligence (AI) literacy.
Mupita framed digital skills as critical for youth to thrive in Africa’s growing digital economy, which he described as still at the “beginning of the beginning.” He emphasized that deliberate action is needed from both public and private sectors to scale connectivity, financial inclusion, and innovation across the continent.
Beyond coding and AI literacy, these skills encompass digital problem-solving, entrepreneurship, and the ability to leverage technology for innovation. They provide young people with the tools to not only access opportunities but also create them, fostering self-reliance and economic empowerment.
The MTN CEO also highlighted Ghana’s strategic importance to the group, noting that strong performance in the country contributed significantly to MTN’s half-year results, which include 297.7 million subscribers across Africa and 63.2 million mobile money users.
He stressed that investment in infrastructure, cyber resilience, and access to emerging technologies such as 5G is essential to ensure that young people can fully leverage digital opportunities.
For him, coding and AI literacy are not just technical competencies, they are essential tools for relevance, innovation, and economic empowerment in Africa’s fast-evolving digital landscape.
