MTN Business has awarded GH¢160,000 in cash prizes and digital business support packages to 10 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) under its 2026 MTN SME Accelerate Programme to strengthen entrepreneurship, promote digital transformation and create jobs.
Five winners of the MTN Business Pitch Competition each received GH¢30,000, while the remaining five finalists were awarded GH¢2,000 each.
All 10 businesses also received MTN Business’ “Yellow Biz Pack,” which includes broadband connectivity, MiFi devices, routers and other digital tools to support their operations.
Mr. Mohammed Abubakari Siddik, Senior Manager for SME Sales, Partnerships and Business Broadband at MTN Ghana, said the initiative formed part of the company’s year-long SME Accelerate Programme aimed at recognising and supporting businesses that contribute significantly to Ghana’s economy.
He said although hundreds of businesses applied for the competition, only 10 finalists were shortlisted, with the top five emerging as winners after pitching their business ideas.
“SMEs are very important to us because they create jobs, contribute to Ghana’s GDP and drive economic growth. MTN itself was once an SME, so we identify strongly with this segment and consider them strategic partners,” he said.
Mr. Siddik said beyond the cash prizes, the winners would benefit from further business development support.
He disclosed that the five winning businesses would participate in a 13-week Mini MBA programme organised in collaboration with Nova Business School to equip them with practical business management skills and prepare them to compete globally.
He said MTN would also monitor the progress of the beneficiaries to ensure the support translated into measurable business growth.
“We already have these businesses on our platforms because they use our services. Through our systems and our implementation partners, we will continue tracking their progress and provide additional support where necessary,” he said.
Mr. Siddik added that MTN’s Mobile Money team was also working with the businesses by providing access to soft loans through the MoMo platform to help expand their operations.
He noted that the latest competition was the third business pitch event organised this year under the SME Accelerate Programme, following earlier editions held during the Women’s Summit in Accra and the AshantiFest in Kumasi.
Among the winners was Tahir Umar, Founder of Tahir Field Recycling, whose company converts waste engine oil into valuable industrial products through locally developed engineering solutions.
He described the award as a strong endorsement of years of research and innovation.
“We saw waste oil as an environmental problem, but also as a valuable resource. Most people dispose of it carelessly because they don’t know its value. We decided to develop a solution that transforms the waste into useful products,” he said.
Mr. Umar said the business idea originated from his university final-year project after years of observing waste engine oil being discarded at his grandfather’s mechanical workshop.
He said the prize money would be invested in purchasing a vacuum pump and increasing raw material supplies to boost production capacity.
“This support gives us confidence that if young entrepreneurs continue doing the right things, the support will come,” he said.
Mr. Umar said the expansion would enable the company to employ at least two additional workers in the coming months and six more by the end of the year.
He said the company currently employed 30 people, comprising seven permanent and 23 temporary staff.
He expressed gratitude to MTN Ghana and its partners for supporting young entrepreneurs and called for the initiative to be expanded to benefit more youth-led businesses across the country.
