Senior Vice President of MTN Group, Ebenezer Asante, called for a fundamental shift in corporate leadership models, urging businesses to adopt governance structures rooted in accountability, ethics and human dignity amid growing scrutiny of institutional conduct.
Speaking at the Arganbright Partners Convergence Conference , Asante said many organisations remain overly focused on profitability while failing to consider the broader societal consequences of their decisions.
“The central crisis we face today is not a crisis of profit; it is a crisis of orientation. The real question is not simply how much value is created, but for whom that value is created and at what cost to human dignity,” he said.
The conference, organised by the Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship International, examined governance and ethics under the theme “Governance and Ethics in the 21st Century: A Path to Sustainable Value Creation.”
Asante introduced what he described as the “Senseholder Value Accountability Framework,” which he said was designed to help organisations reassess ethical decision-making and institutional culture. According to him, the framework challenges leaders to evaluate how their organisations are perceived, identify institutional blind spots and assess responses under pressure.
“Ethical leadership must be deliberate. It must be interrogated consistently, especially in moments of uncertainty and strain,” he noted. He identified greed, power and fame as among the major drivers of ethical failures within institutions, warning that unchecked ambition could weaken organisational integrity and erode public trust.
“These drivers are subtle but powerful. If they are not managed consciously, they will shape decisions in ways that compromise integrity. Leadership must therefore be anchored on discipline and a clear sense of responsibility to all stakeholders,” he said.
Asante also advocated broader employee participation in corporate governance, arguing that organisations must create environments where staff can raise concerns without fear of retaliation.
“Ethics cannot be imposed from the top alone. It must be lived across all levels of the organisation. Leaders must set the tone through visible action, not just policy, and organizations must be intentionally designed to uphold dignity and create sustained value.”
The event drew business leaders, academics and corporate executives to discuss governance standards and sustainable value creation in an increasingly complex global business environment.
Among attendees were Stephen Adei, former rector of Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration; Mansa Nettey, Chief Executive Officer of Standard Chartered Bank Ghana; and Kwaku Bediako, Chief Executive Officer of Chase Petroleum. Asante was accompanied by officials from MTN Ghana, including Chief Risk and Compliance Officer Joseph Dogbe, Acting General Manager for Sustainability and Shared Value Georgina Asare Fiagbenu and Manager for Data and Devices Abdul Latif Issahaku.
