Partnerships between the public and private sectors, and across borders, are critical to unlocking Africa’s next phase of sustainable growth, according to MTN Group, a key sponsor at CNN International’s inaugural Global Perspectives event held in London on Monday.
Speaking at the event, Ebenezer Asante, MTN Group Vice President for Ghana and Southern and East Africa, said Africa cannot achieve inclusive digital transformation without stronger collaboration.
“We are getting to a space where, without partnership and working together – not only with our competitors, but also with other investors, with government, as well as even multilateral agencies and development fund providers – we are simply not going to be able to cover the next one billion people,” Asante said.
He was referring to the one billion Africans who still lack access to mobile internet and remain limited to basic voice connectivity. According to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), only 38% of Africa’s population was online in 2024, compared to the global average of 68%.
Bridging this gap could significantly boost the continent’s economy. The GSMA projects that closing Africa’s digital usage gap could add US$700 billion to sub-Saharan Africa’s GDP by 2030.
Asante emphasised that enabling this growth requires a multi-pronged approach:
“We require smart regulations. We require to bring the cost of deployment way lower than where it is today. That speaks to innovation, it speaks to partnership. We also require to build talent and skills.”
MTN Group, Africa’s largest mobile network, currently serves more than 300 million subscribers. In the first half of 2025 alone, its 63 million active Mobile Money (MoMo) users carried out over 11 billion transactions, valued at more than US$212 billion.
Adding to the discussion, Serigne Dioum, MTN Group Fintech CEO, highlighted how digital financial services are empowering small businesses and enabling a more connected African economy.
“Us and regulators, we have the same vision, the same objective. We want to drive financial inclusion, we want people to get more dignity,” Dioum said during a panel on fueling Africa’s next-generation startup ecosystem. “What is more important than financial inclusion, is for people to be independent financially.”
The CNN Global Perspectives: Africa event brought together leaders from business, policy, and development to discuss innovation, sustainability, and inclusive growth on the continent. Through initiatives like these, MTN Group continues to advocate for collaborative approaches to digital inclusion — ensuring that Africa’s next billion are not left behind in the global digital economy.
