On Saturday, 12th September 2026, the fairways of Achimota Golf Club played host to something bigger than a golf tournament. As part of a year-long celebration of MTN Ghana’s 30th anniversary, the telecommunications giant brought together CEOs, business leaders, partners and media for the CEO Invitational Golf Competition. A fitting tribute to three decades, described aptly as “30 years of progress, powered by Ghanaians.”
Under bright morning skies, guests gathered not just to play a round of golf, but to mark a milestone few could have imagined when MTN first teed off in the Ghanaian market three decades ago.
A Game of Patience, Not Instant Results
Addressing guests, fellow golfers and colleagues, MTN Ghana Board Chairman Mr. Ishmael Yamson set the tone for the day with an analogy that would carry through his entire speech: golf, much like building a company, rewards patience over impulse.
He reminded the room that a round of golf isn’t won on the first hole, but through eighteen holes of “consistent, deliberate, honest effort”. Adjusting to the wind, reading the terrain, and recovering from the unexpected bunker. It’s a lesson, he said, that mirrors MTN Ghana’s own three-decade journey: a company that teed off in a market with no guarantees, no certainty that mobile money would become a lifeline for millions, and no clear line of sight to the tens of millions of subscribers it now serves.
The Rough, and the Recovery
True to the spirit of golf, Mr. Yamson didn’t shy away from acknowledging the harder holes along the way. He called them “regulatory bunkers, competitive hazards” and storms that forced the company to pause and recalibrate. But he was equally clear that a good golfer doesn’t abandon the round over one bad hole; they adjust their club and play smart from wherever the ball has landed. That resilience, he noted, has defined MTN Ghana’s journey as much as any milestone or achievement.
He was also quick to point out that no one plays this game alone. From engineers climbing masts in the rain, to customer service agents patiently guiding first-time mobile money users, to regulators who pushed the company to do better — the Chairman credited MTN Ghana’s thirty years of progress to the sum of everyone who has played a part in it.
The Back Nine Awaits
Perhaps the most resonant moment of the speech was its look forward. Mr. Yamson was candid that an “extraordinary front nine”, one that connected a nation, extended financial inclusion, and helped write Ghana’s digital transformation story, is only half the round. The back nine, he said, is where character is truly tested, and it comes with new holes still to play: nationwide fibre expansion, the rollout of 5G, artificial intelligence, and a deepening commitment to reaching communities still without so much as a single bar of signal.
He closed with a toast to the thirty years behind MTN Ghana, and to the “many more holes still to play” ahead, a fitting sentiment for a company celebrating three decades while keeping its eyes firmly on the next.
On the Course
Beyond the speeches, the day itself delivered everything a CEO Invitational should: friendly competition, good company, and a shared appreciation for a sport that, as Mr. Yamson put it, is as “humbling” as it is “character-building.” CEOs and business leaders from across Ghana’s corporate landscape took to the course, trading boardrooms for the fairway for an afternoon of golf, connection, and celebration.
And the Winners Are…
Men – Group A
- Frederick Semenu Duvor – 39 points
- Isaac Asante – 37 points
- Kwame Boatfo – 37 points
- Michael Agyer – 35 points
- Michael Gosney – 34 points
Ladies – Group A
- Julienne Afi Amezado – 39 points
- Princess Nkansah-Boadu – 35 points
- Mary Agyeman Prempeh – 35 points
Men – Group B
- Yaw Mireku Jnr. – 45 points
- Frederick Andre Feraille – 41 points
- Nathan Lee-Williams Annobi – 39 points
- David Boakye – 39 points
- Michael Darko – 38 points
Ladies – Group B
- Kous Louanges Mang – 38 points
- Anita Ohene Mantey – 38 points
- Romina Ahviz – 37 points
Men – Group C
- Kofi Mangesi – 40 points
- Derrick Morgan – 40 points
- Kwadwo Appietu-Ankrah – 32 points
- Justice Cudjoe – 28 points
- Richmond Aboagye – 25 points
Ladies – Group C
- Elorm R. Akuash Bonney – 42 points
- Berlinda Boateng – 38 points
- Afi Yayra Dunyo – 35 points
Seniors Division – Men
- Jan Vogel – 39 gross
- Adewale Adeoye-Famosa – 38 gross
Seniors Division – Ladies
- Helen Appah – 44 gross
- Hajia Zenabu Sulemana – 40 gross
Boobie Prize
- Men: Simran Oberoi – 22 gross
- Ladies: Christine Fuller – 26 gross
Auxiliary Prizes
- Longest Drive (Hole 17) – Men: Rickie Hurtubise | Ladies: Berlinda Dzifa Boateng
- Closest to the Pin (Hole 18) – Men: Dennis Addo | Ladies: Mary Agyeman Prempeh
