Ghana has become Africa’s first mobile network operator to launch the Cloud Service Brokerage model to provide ICT solutions to SMEs and large corporates in the country. MTN Ghana’s CEO, Mr. Michael Ikpoki, disclosed that several research work identified certain challenges facing small and medium-sized businesses in Africa, including high cost of IT software and hardware, and in some cases licensing fees. “What MTN Cloud Services seek to do is to enable SMEs to minimize these costs, and at the same time improve productivity and efficiency. “We are confident that the innovative offers available will provide our customers the freedom to focus on running their core businesses knowing that their data processing needs will be managed safely and securely in the MTN Cloud,” Ikpoki said. The company recently announced it is investing US$105 million, in 2013, to expand its network capacity and upgrades its services so as to assure customers of excellent delivery. “Cloud Services constitute a recent innovation in the IT space and we are very proud to be leading in the market,” Ikpoki said, adding that the development marks a very important milestone in the life of MTN Business, which was launched in 2011 to provide ICT solutions to corporate organisations in the country. He observed that with the emergence of new technologies and a strong drive towards digitization, the role of ICT as an essential component of the competitive armory for SMEs has become even more critical. “SMEs and other large corporate bodies should therefore be looking to invest in new technologies and new solutions to drive growth in their businesses. “In the end, it is through such advancements that we’ll secure our socio-economic future and create sustainable small and medium enterprises,” Ikpoki said.