Ghana: Telecel accelerates its investments to reposition itself against MTN
March 19th 2026
Telecel officially entered the Ghanaian telecoms market in February 2023 by acquiring the struggling Vodafone. The company has committed to investing heavily in expanding 4G coverage and developing innovative fintech solutions.
Telecommunications operator Telecel Ghana plans to increase its network investment by 150% by 2026. The company states that it is expanding its capacity to meet the growing demand for mobile data and to position itself for the next phase of digital connectivity in Ghana. This strengthens its position in a market largely dominated by MTN.
The investment plans were revealed last week by the company’s CEO, Patricia Obo-Nai (pictured), during Joy FM’s “Super Morning Show,” and reported by the local press. “Our network is experiencing phenomenal growth, and it’s becoming congested due to customer data demand. With evolving technologies, we are now building additional sites on top of existing ones to create more capacity ,” she said.
The investments will focus on increasing network capacity, improving service reliability, and preparing infrastructure for future technologies, including 5G mobile. For example, by the end of fiscal year 2025, the operator had increased its number of sites to approximately 9,000, up from nearly 5,000 previously. Looking further ahead, Ms. Obo-Nai indicated that network expansion will remain central to Telecel’s strategy, as telecom operators increasingly establish themselves as infrastructure platforms supporting the digitalization of the economy.
This announcement comes a few months after the launch, in November 2025, of a major $70 million network modernization project in partnership with Huawei. This project aims to improve network performance and offer next-generation digital services to both individuals and businesses.
With Huawei, Telecel had already deployed more than 500 4G sites in Ghana a year after its acquisition. The operator aims to increase this number to 2,500 sites within three years and achieve near-complete mobile coverage, notably through satellite. The company had also signed an agreement with Lynk Global in April 2023 to expand mobile coverage via “Direct-to-Device” satellite technology.
Telecel Ghana promises its subscribers improved connectivity as deployments continue across the country, a move that could strengthen its competitive position.
The former Vodafone Ghana has indeed lost ground in recent years to the leader MTN. Its market share fell from 24.1% in June 2017 to 18.41% in February 2023, at the time of its acquisition by Telecel Group, before rising again to 20.17% at the end of December 2025. Despite a slight decline, MTN still largely dominated the market with 72.82% of the mobile subscriber base.
However, Telecel is not the only player accelerating its investments. MTN Group announced last February its intention to inject approximately $1.1 billion over three years to strengthen its infrastructure and improve the quality of its services in Ghana.
Back