The commitment comes alongside the goal to construct a cutting-edge office facility for its subsidiary, MTN Benin.

The news was a focal point during MTN Group’s high-profile visit to Cotonou, where top executives engaged in key discussions with President Patrice Talon. The gathering included MTN Group President and CEO Ralph Mupita, MTN Benin Chairman Amadou Raimi, Senior Vice President for Markets Ebenezer Asante, MTN Benin CEO Uche Ofodile, and MTN Group Chief Sustainability and Corporate Affairs Officer Nompilo Morafo.

Ralph Mupita, highlighting MTN’s commitment to stimulating efficiency across its markets, emphasized, “MTN works to be a force for good in our markets, giving Africans hope, dignity, and opportunity.” He further noted the company’s gratitude for the warm reception in Benin, citing ongoing trials of 5G services and the wide potential for further advancements.

Mupita pointed to MTN’s dedication in supporting the talents and skills of Beninese youth, highlighting the company’s eagerness to collaborate closely with the government and other stakeholders to facilitate holistic development initiatives.

President Talon, acknowledging MTN’s solid dedication, extended his appreciation to the delegation and expressed optimism for future collaborations. With MTN Benin celebrating its growth and achievements of a quarter-century of operations, asserting approximately eight million subscribers, the company is prepared for enhanced cooperation and mutual prosperity.

This further drives technological innovation and socioeconomic progress across Africa, further cementing its status as a role model of opportunity and empowerment in the continent’s digital sector.

MTN Benin and Ericsson have partnered on the deployment of an Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) solution in Africa to address throughput challenges.

A network management system utilizing AI and ML was designed to address throughput degradation ultimately providing improved customer satisfaction.

This is building on the existing Ericsson Operation Engine designed to provide data driven network operations including state-of-the-art AI-enabled Cognitive Software for network optimization.

The ongoing rise of connected devices has led to an increase in spectrum requirements putting a strain on certain sites.

Ericsson devised its latest algorithms to act on highly accurate predictions of future lower throughput based on historical data.

As a result, MTN Benin can maximize the use of available spectrum in turn improving user experience through reliable, and best-in-class network experience for MTN Benin’s subscribers.

Uche OFODILE, Chief Executive Officer of MTN Benin said: “Throughput degradation, one of the most common issues in network management, has been successfully solved thanks to our joint efforts with Ericsson. The most crucial aspect we are looking for is speed, to service the increased use of connected devices and the corresponding rise in network traffic. Ericsson has offered us the best available solution with their proactive AI and ML solutions, identifying the issue before it materializes. By utilizing Ericsson’s solution for designing creative network solutions, we hope to provide a more individualized approach to network management, thereby boost customer satisfaction and successfully contribute to government ambition to be the leading provider of digital services in West Africa.”

Hossam Kandeel, Vice President and Head of Global Customer Unit MTN and Customer Unit MTN Africa at Ericsson Middle East and Africa said: “It is a pleasure to support accelerating MTN Benin’s automation journey, with remarkable positive effects on end-user experience, network performance and operational efficiency. We are able to provide highly accurate predictions of future limited throughput – anticipating throughput challenges and offering zero-touch corrective action. This collaboration is aligned with our goal of transforming network operations and optimization to a proactive data driven approach – building on Ericsson’s AI-Based Cognitive software and Operations Engine.”

The AI and ML solution is multi-faceted in its benefits as it addresses throughput degradation in the most efficient manner by anticipating it, offering zero-touch corrective action, increasing throughput for Service-Level Agreements (SLAs), and making the best use of network resources.