MTN Ghana has reaffirmed its commitment to driving Ghana’s socio-economic transformation through disciplined project management, innovation and strong governance, while highlighting the growing role of Ghanaian professionals in delivering complex projects for the company.
Speaking at the opening of the Project Management Institute (PMI) Ghana National Project Management Conference and Project Management Excellence Awards 2026, Chief Transformation Officer at MTN Ghana, Mr. William Tetteh, said effective project management has become indispensable to achieving Ghana’s development ambitions.
Addressing participants under the theme “Beyond Vision: Delivering Ghana’s Transformation,” Mr. Tetteh said sustainable transformation requires more than bold ideas, stressing that success depends on disciplined execution, accountability and leadership.
“Nations are not transformed by vision alone. They are transformed by disciplined execution,” he said.
Mr. Tetteh noted that at MTN Ghana, the company has learned that technology alone cannot deliver meaningful transformation without sound project governance, strategic planning and a relentless focus on customer value. “Technology accelerates progress, but project management ensures progress reaches its destination,” he stated.
He said the telecommunications company continues to combine innovation with disciplined execution to deliver digital solutions that create value for customers, businesses and communities across Ghana.
According to him, as artificial intelligence, automation and cloud technologies reshape industries, organisations must strengthen their project management capabilities to successfully deliver increasingly complex programmes and manage change effectively.
Mr. Tetteh also emphasised that effective project management is critical to Ghana’s national development agenda, noting that every investment in infrastructure, healthcare, education, digital transformation and climate resilience ultimately depends on successful project delivery.
He observed that challenges such as abandoned infrastructure projects, flooding, illegal mining and building collapses demonstrate the need for stronger governance, risk management and accountability in project implementation.
“These are, in many respects, failures of project leadership, governance, risk management, stakeholder engagement and accountability,” he said.
The call for stronger project leadership comes as MTN Ghana continues to build local capacity to manage major transformation initiatives.
During a presentation at the same conference, Bernard Blewusi Agblevor, Project Manager for Network Transformation at MTN Ghana, revealed that the company has successfully managed more than US$3.28 billion in capital investments and delivered 1,267 projects over nearly two decades.
Speaking on the topic “From Expat Dependency to Local Expertise,” Mr. Agblevor explained that MTN Ghana’s deliberate investment in skills development, mentorship, succession planning and professional certification has significantly strengthened local project management capacity.
He disclosed that the company has reduced its reliance on expatriate expertise by 94.7 percent, from 38 expatriates in 2009 to only two specialist roles in 2026, as Ghanaian professionals increasingly take leadership positions.
Mr. Agblevor attributed the achievement to structured coaching, knowledge transfer programmes and the integration of succession planning into MTN Ghana’s Project Management Office (PMO) framework.
He cited Mr. William Tetteh’s career progression as an example of the success of the company’s leadership development approach, noting that he moved from working under a foreign Chief Capital Projects Officer to becoming Chief Transformation Officer at MTN Ghana.
Mr. Agblevor said MTN Ghana’s strengthened local project management capacity has played a key role in delivering major initiatives, including the Go-Big Fibre-to-the-Home rollout, which exceeded its target by 19.2 percent after connecting more than 202,000 homes.
He added that the company has also supported connectivity solutions for GCB Bank and maintained the reliability of its Mobile Money platform.
He added that MTN Ghana has built a strong team of professionally trained project managers, equipped with international certifications and expertise to lead complex projects across the country.
The company’s project management capabilities have also received international recognition, including being named Africa PMO of the Year in 2025 and receiving recognition at the PMO Global Awards.
Mr. Agblevor stressed that sustainable transformation requires institutions to empower local professionals with the authority, resources and accountability needed to lead complex projects. “Ghana has produced the talent. Now we must build the systems that let that talent lead,” he stated.
Mr. Tetteh commended PMI Ghana for promoting project management excellence and creating a platform that brings together policymakers, industry leaders, academia and practitioners to strengthen Ghana’s development capacity.
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He called for stronger partnerships among government, the private sector, development partners and professional bodies, saying national transformation can only be achieved when vision is matched with effective execution.
“If every organisation strengthens its governance, every leader insists on accountability and every professional commits to delivering projects with excellence, Ghana’s transformation will no longer remain a vision. It will become our shared reality,” he said.
The two-day conference is exploring strategies for improving project delivery, strengthening governance and recognising outstanding achievements in project management as Ghana pursues sustainable economic growth and national transformation.
Source: Isaac Kofi Dzokpo
