[DIGITAL Business Africa] – At the conclusion of the Yello Tech Summit on June 26, 2025 in Douala – after two days of panels and exhibits – Ebenezer Asante, Senior Vice-President of Markets for MTN Group, reaffirmed Cameroon’s strategic role in the South African telecom giant’s regional expansion:
“For MTN, Cameroon is the gateway into West and Central Africa. Before we rolled out across the entire WECA region, we first tested our model here in Cameroon. It’s no coincidence that I live here today and that I’m choosing to turn this country’s successes into initiatives not only across West and Central Africa but in all MTN markets.”
Asante’s remarks underscore how MTN views Cameroon as a true “laboratory” for innovation and service rollout before continent-wide deployment.
Two Major Continental Initiatives in 2026
To leverage Cameroon’s vibrant ecosystem and share its best practices, Asante unveiled two flagship projects – born here – that will launch next year across all MTN subsidiaries:
1. Replicating the Yello Tech Summit
The two-day collaborative innovation forum – bringing together start-ups, research institutes, partners and pilot customers – will be duplicated in every MTN market. Organized locally by MTN Business Cameroon, the summit showcased digital solutions transforming SME operations. Asante explained that the goal of this expansion is to harmonize design thinking and agile experimentation to deliver regionally tailored digital services.
► Watch a Yello Tech Summit session: https://youtu.be/ujORm05ntds
2. Local-to-Pan-Africa Tech Hackathons
Each MTN operator will host an “Innovation, Technology & Digital Hackathon” on its home turf. The top three to five innovators from each national event will then compete in a continent-wide hackathon organized by MTN Group.
“I’ll also try to bring potential investors into the room for your pitches,” Asante promised in Douala. “From this competition, one or two African standout projects will emerge – and they’ll receive support both in their home market and across the MTN footprint.”
► Watch Asante’s full remarks:
Cameroon: A Hub for Experimentation and Acceleration
Since its 2000 launch, MTN Cameroon has led several “firsts,” including the country’s inaugural 3G network, the region’s first mobile-money platform (CEMAC zone), and an open innovation center. This early-adopter trajectory cements Cameroon as a talent pool and testing ground for new digital services.
With telecom operators worldwide investing heavily in cloud, AI and fintech, Asante’s call places Cameroon at the heart of MTN’s innovation industrialization strategy – particularly through:
- Public-private partnerships accelerating proof-of-concept platforms to launch in under six months
- Local developer training and mentoring via national, then pan-African, hackathons
- Investor engagement at a dedicated “pitch day” tied to the continental hackathon
- New startup incubator plans announced by MTN Cameroon in the coming months
Looking Ahead: A New Era of African Innovation
By choosing Cameroon as its digital development proving ground, MTN taps one of Africa’s most dynamic ecosystems – championed locally by Franck Gérard Kom (General Manager, Enterprise Business Unit) and Wanda Matandela (CEO, MTN Cameroon).
Performance Highlights (Q1 2025)
- MTN Cameroon: ZAR 2,708 million revenue, +14.1 % YoY (constant currency)
- MTN Côte d’Ivoire: ZAR 2,304 million revenue, –7.3 % YoY (constant currency)
This strong growth in Cameroon – driven by mobile-money adoption, digital services and data usage – contrasts with the contraction in Côte d’Ivoire, reflecting intense competitive and regulatory pressures there.
The upcoming 2026 initiatives – Yello Tech Summit rollouts and pan-African hackathons – will unite local tech communities and attract capital to turn ideas into viable startups.
As Ebenezer Asante makes clear, Cameroon is not just another market; it is the catalyst for MTN’s entire West and Central Africa strategy and beyond. Watch this space in 2026: the continent’s next great innovations may very well take flight from Douala.
By Beaugas Orain Djoyum
