Telecommunications giant MTN Ghana has launched its Roadshow and Platforms Accelerator 2023 challenge, which allows start-ups to leverage its numerous digital platforms to expand their businesses to maximise gains.
During the company’s engagement meeting with this year’s participants in Accra, its Product Manager Daniel Ahlijah noted that the platform accelerator also enables innovators in the tech space, particularly young minds, to generate solutions for the market.
“As part of our long-term strategy to develop and own some of the best platforms in Africa, the MTN platforms accelerator is gathering the innovators in the space who want to generate solutions for the market in Ghana and in Africa,” he elaborated.
The platforms include MTN Momo, Chenosis, Àyoba and Tech hub, among others.
Participants for this year’s competition were drawn from all the regions across the country, with the exception of Western, Winnie Dzidonu, Manager – Digital Platforms at MTN Ghana, noted.
“This year’s roadshow extended to the Volta Region but unfortunately, we were not able to go to Takoradi in the Western Region due to the demise of one of our hub owners,” she elaborated.
She added that the Accra roadshow, the finale for 2023, had over 50 persons.”Our goal is to get to at least 200 registrations so that we can get these start-ups on to Ayoba.
“We have gone around the country and there have been quite a number of entries. As we continue to go along, there would be a list of final groups of finalists who would be going to the final stage; and out of that, we will pick the winners,” she also said.
According to her, the meeting is the beginning of a few more engagements to the final engagement, where the winners will be declared to have provided the best solution in the market.
With respect to monitoring, Benedict Bentel, Senior Manager for Enterprise Marketing and Portfolio Management, indicated that the company continues to engage with the participants even after the competition.
“The nature of this programme is such that we cannot take our hands off the winners or even the participants. It is a continuous process and through the life-time of their business, we continue to provide mentorship, support and resources to them.
“Even those who won last year continue to have an engagement with MTN, and those who will win this year will also join that same cohort,” he added.
He assured that MTN will continue to provide them with the knowledge that they need in terms of business and technology to help them build the best applications possible.
For this year’s competition, the most installed Micro-App, Expert’s Choice, Best Chenosis Solution and Best MoMo Solution award-winners took home GH¢20, 000 while the winner of the tech hub award received GH¢50,000.
