MTN Ghana urges businesses to make trust their new currency

MTN Ghana has urged businesses to make trust their new currency, warning that in today’s digital economy, trust is no longer just a value — it is the asset that determines whether a business grows or collapses.

The call was made at MTN Ghana’s cybersecurity Masterclass held at the Marriott Hotel in Accra last Thursday, November 12, 2026, under the theme “Trust as the New Currency: Building Resilient Businesses, Brands and Customer Relationships. “The Masterclass brought together entrepreneurs and business leaders to discuss how to build resilience in an era of artificial intelligence and misinformation.

Delivering a speech on “Cybersecurity and Digital Trust,” the Senior Manager for Enterprise Risk, Regulatory Risk and Compliance at MobileMoney Fintech LTD (MMFL), Nanatunde Davies, warned that a single fraud incident or data breach could destroy years of customer trust.

Ms Davies urged businesses to make the protection of customers’ money and personal information a priority. She said once customers lose confidence in a business, they hardly return.

She explained that cybercriminals are becoming more sophisticated, using fake links, impersonation, phishing messages and social engineering to steal money and data. Many victims, she said, do not lose money because systems failed, but because they were tricked into giving away their own information.

According to Ms Davies, businesses must therefore balance security and convenience. While customers want fast and easy services, businesses must also put in place strong controls to protect them. She said cybersecurity is everyone’s responsibility, not just the job of the IT department.

She also spoke about the measures MMFL has put in place to strengthen fraud prevention.

These include continuous monitoring of transactions, customer education, and collaboration with MTN Ghana, the Cyber Security Authority, and law enforcement agencies to track and stop fraudsters.

Ms Davies advised business owners to train their staff regularly, use strong passwords, enable two-factor authentication, verify suspicious messages, and report fraud cases quickly.

She said early reporting helps to block accounts, trace stolen funds, and prevent other customers from falling victim.

Speaking at the same event, Sandra Oduro Antwi, Senior Manager for Consumer Marketing at MTN Ghana, said trust remained one of the most important factors in building a successful and resilient business.

She said businesses that protect customer information, verify content generated by AI, and maintain human oversight while using technology will improve productivity and customer experience.

CEO of Stratcom Africa, Esther Cobbah, who was a resource person, admonished that businesses must focus on building trust from outside the organisation by delivering what they can truly and ethically provide.

According to her, once a business aligns its promise with what it can truly deliver, and delivers it effectively, on time and consistently, it builds trust. “So, you don't just make the promise; you check on your systems to make sure that the promise can ride on the systems while checking on your people to ensure that they understand the customer, and they understand the strategic objective of the organisation,” she said.

She said at Stratcom Africa, they organise something called Brand Reputation Week, which starts with business planning. “It amazes the participants to find that we start with business planning. Because when you rush to tell people, ‘I can do this, I can do this and more’ without a solid plan for your business, you will grow, but you will collapse because you didn't have the systems and the people to support that. And therefore, trust is lost,” she said.

Mrs Cobbah described trust as a shared perspective, not a one-sided promise. “Trust is built! I would say, trust is a shared perspective.

A promise is not one-sided. A promise is a shared perspective. It's a shared message,” she said. “We say a promise is a debt unpaid. So, if you give your trust to somebody, you're trusting them because they're giving you value back. So, trust is value shared. “Sharing her own story, she said she started Stratcom Africa on a study table in her house when her kids were asleep at night, moved into a shipping container, and took it a step at a time to where the company is today.

Mrs Cobbah said effective communication for reputation building and management is proactive, not reactive. “You have to do issue anticipation.

That is why, in my organisation, we blend the science and the art of communication. People rush to the art.

And when you rush to the art, then you make mistakes,” she said.

She concluded that communication is not just about talking, writing, or posting. It is about who handles the handle. Proactiveness, being proactive, is key to ensuring that your business survives and your reputation also survives and grows,” she said.