President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has made a personal appeal to the Pan-African telecommunications giant, MTN Group to support the senior national football team, Black Stars, in their 2022 World Cup Campaign coming off in Qatar in November 2022.
He made the appeal when he received Ralph Tendai Mupita and his delegation at his hotel in New York on Tuesday, September 20 2022. Mr Mupita, a Zimbabwe-born engineer, businessman, and corporate executive, had in his delegation, Nompilo Morafo, Group Chief Sustainability and Corporate Affairs Officer of the MTN Group, and Ebenezer Asante, Senior Vice-President of MTN, Markets.
Also in attendance was Ghana’s Minister of Education, Yaw Osei Adutwum.
President Akufo-Addo took advantage of the courtesy call to support efforts by the Ministry of Youth and Sports, which has engaged MTN to become a headline sponsor of the national football team’s campaign in Qatar.
The MTN delegation called on President Akufo-Addo, who is attending the 77th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, to establish MTN’s commitment to Ghana and its willingness to continue supporting Ghana’s development, especially in the roll out of education.
The MTN delegation told the President about the company’s keen interest in participating in any future spectrum auction for 5G infrastructure for faster and more efficient internet service in Ghana.
President Akufo-Addo, while engaging the high-powered MTN delegation, suggested to the leading mobile service provider in Ghana, to play an active role in supporting Ghana’s efforts, including the mobilisation of supporters.
The organisation was very active in the 2010 World Cup, when Ghana missed out on a semi-finals slot in South Africa through a final minute penalty miss. MTN was a major sponsor of that World Cup in 2010.
President Akufo-Addo is hopeful that this Black Stars squad has what it takes to make Ghana and the entire African continent proud in Qatar, by going beyond what any African nation has been able to achieve in the World Cup, which remains a quarter final position.
He noted that the people of Ghana love their football and the attention of the country is going to turn to the Black Stars during the period of the 2022 World Cup fiesta in Qatar. In response, the MTN head assured the President that his team is already fully engaged in the sponsorship discussions and he expects a successful conclusion to that.
The three MTN executives recalled being at the stadium when Asamoah Gyan missed that crucial penalty in the 2010 World Cup quarter finals match with Uruguay and expressed optimism that Ghana and the other four African nations will make a very good showing in Qatar.
