Sack This CEO, Hire Ghanaian- Protesters Tell MTN as Legally Resident Ghanaians Lose Jobs in South Africa

A group of non-violent Ghanaian protesters from across Accra marched to Jubilee House last Thursday to hand over a petition which among other requests, called for the immediate removal of Stephen Blewett, a South African appointed as Chief Executive Officer of MTN Ghana, and replace him with any of the several readily-available and even more qualified Ghanaians, else the telecommunications company should prepare for a sustained nationwide boycott.

The demonstration, believed to have been organised by the Ghana First Alliance, also stormed the MTN head office in Accra, where they peacefully handed over a similar petition making the same demands. The protest was sparked by a growing national anger over the confirmed and continuous mistreatment of Ghanaians and other Africans in South Africa.

The protesters are also demanding that South African-owned companies in Ghana either have their operating licences revoked or be boycotted entirely. At the heart of the storm stands MTN Ghana, a corporate giant, a national success story, and the country’s most profitable telecom. It is a subsidiary of the MTN Group, which is a prominent South African multinational mobile telecommunications company headquartered in Johannesburg.

The petitioners argue that MTN Group has failed to recognise the local talents that built its Ghanaian empire. They reminded the presidency that under two Ghanaian chief executives, Eben Asante and Selorm Adadevoh, MTN Ghana transformed from a competitor into the undisputed market leader.

The petition stated that it was under Mr Asante that MTN overtook all rivals combined, and under Mr Adadevoh, the Mobile Money (MoMo) service exploded into one of the Group’s most profitable assets globally. Both men eventually left Accra for group-level roles which  the protesters say is proof that Ghanaian executives can lead at the highest levels of a multinational.

They therefore question why MTN Group ignored the several outstandingly qualified Ghanaians to bring in a South African, Stephen Blewett, to become Chief Executive in Ghana instead of promoting any of the qualified Ghanaians.

The appointment sends the wrong signal, the petition says, “especially when South Africa faces accusations of hostility toward African migrants and professionals from elsewhere on the continent.”

The protesters point out that the CEO position comes with huge remuneration, bonuses and share incentives spoils they believe should go to local talent.

Their argument is blunt and reciprocal: if some South Africans believe jobs in South Africa should be reserved for South Africans, then Ghana must also prioritise its own qualified citizens for top roles in major companies operating here.

“If Ghanaian executives were good enough to build MTN Ghana into one of the Group’s most successful operations,” they said, “then Ghanaian executives are good enough to continue leading it.”

Consequently, the demonstrators are demanding that MTN Group replace Stephen Blewett with a qualified Ghanaian CEO, arguing that the leadership of MTN Ghana must reflect the contribution that Ghanaians have made to the company’s success.

The numbers back their case. MTN Ghana is not merely profitable – it is one of the most profitable businesses in the country and one of the MTN Group’s most critical operations worldwide, second only to Nigeria.

Strikingly, MTN earns more from West Africa as a whole than from Southern Africa, including its home market, South Africa.

That means Ghana, with its dominant market position and world-class Mobile Money (MoMo) service built by Ghanaian hands, has become a primary engine of profit for the pan-African telecom giant.

The protesters are now calling on MTN Group to reverse course: replace Mr Blewett with a qualified Ghanaian CEO, and let the leadership of MTN Ghana finally reflect the local contribution that built its success.

Until then, they are urging Ghanaians to boycott MTN; a move they describe as both an act of solidarity with fellow Africans and a measured demand for economic reciprocity.