MTN Ghana delayed in condemning xenophobic attacks - Chairman admits

Economist and Board Chairman of MTN Ghana, Dr Ishmael Yamson, has acknowledged that the company was late in issuing a public statement against xenophobic attacks on Ghanaians and other Africans in South Africa. Speaking with Joy News on August 24, 2026, Dr Yamson explained that although the South Africa Ghana Business Chamber had already condemned the violence, MTN Ghana should have spoken out much earlier. “I apologise that we haven’t done that,” he said. Responding to criticism that corporate institutions, including MTN, had remained silent while Africans faced attacks, Dr Yamson stressed that the corporate sector in South Africa had been vocal. “The corporate sector in South Africa has been very outspoken against it. The MTN chairman spoke directly, and he condemned it in no uncertain terms,” he noted. Akufo-Addo terminated my appointment as MCE without any explanation - Miracles Aboagye He admitted, however, that MTN Ghana’s size and influence meant the public expected a direct statement. “If you come to Ghana, MTN is big, and therefore, everybody would expect MTN to come out and issue a statement,” he said. Dr Yamson emphasised that MTN Ghana had no connection to the attacks. “Let me say now here that we condemn it unreservedly. We have nothing to do with it. We dissociate ourselves from it completely,” he said. Highlighting the company’s identity, he noted that more than 120,000 Ghanaians are shareholders of MTN Ghana. “MTN Ghana is a corporate citizen of Ghana. It is not MTN South Africa,” he added. He criticised South Africa’s handling of the crisis, saying the country could not promote African integration while treating migrants with hostility. “What is happening in South Africa is bad. And I can tell you that we are angry,” he declared. Dr Yamson also rejected calls for retaliation against South African businesses in Ghana. “If you target MTN Ghana, you can target it, but at the end of the day, you are destroying something that you should protect,” he warned, noting that 98% of MTN Ghana’s employees are Ghanaian and the company is the country’s largest taxpayer. Elikem Kotoko reveals he nearly took his life twice after losing $497,000 in June 3 floods He revealed that MTN Ghana had planned financial support for returnees from South Africa. “When the issue broke, I can tell you, the board immediately decided that we will set aside ¢10 million as a welcome back,” he said. The company, he said, later considered creating a larger fund to help returnees rebuild their lives. “Sometimes when you are big, your internal bureaucracy can also delay a few things. But we have not forgotten. We will do it. We’ll do it in a big way. We’ll do it in a way that will make more meaning,” he said. VKB/VPO #TrendingGH: 'We have used it for years' - Traders speak on Ethemax use Source: www.ghanaweb.com
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