MTN Ghana is making moves to get members of the Ghana Union of Traders Associations (GUTA) unto an online portal where they can display and sell their wares with convenience and save money. The initiative, which is in partnership with Ghanabuy.com, is intended to assist traders to take advantage of the use of the internet to facilitate their businesses through the use of cheap online communication, research, sending invoices and quotations, among other things, to save time and money. It is also to offer traders the opportunity to do video skyping, enjoy bulk SMS sim offerings from MTN, have lesser call and data tariffs through closed user groups (CUGs), all of which would go a long way to reduce cost. This is in line with earlier statement by MTN Ghana CEO, Michael Ikpoki that the company is developing various customized packages for both large scale, as well small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) to boost their businesses and save cost. It is one of the ways to encourage data consumption as the telecom market in Ghana moves more towards data. As part of the move, executives from MTN Business, MTN Mobile Money and Ghanabuy.com, recently held a forum for GUTA top executives to introduce them to MTN data and voice packages that they could take advantage of to boost their businesses and cut cost. The forum, dubbed MTN Traders Forum, for the first time brought together the President, executives and governing bodies of all traders associations under the GUTA under one roof, Alisa Hotel in Accra. The forum discussed a wide range of issues of concern to traders, including network quality and expansion, sales and distribution, capital injections, marketing campaigns and opportunities, customer service, Mobile Money, MTN’s challenges with fibre cuts and many more. MTN came along with specialists who had answers to almost every questions that traders had, and questions were mainly on areas such as roaming bills, Sim Registration, Price war, Mobile Money and others. GUTA top executives congratulated MTN for the opportunity and openness in addressing issues of concern to traders, saying that the engagement has put the traders in a better position to be able to tell MTN what customized packages they want. But some traders, like the spare parts dealers, are still nervous about displaying their prices online because it gives them competitive disadvantage – they prefer to keep their prices to their chest so prospective buyers would go to them and negotiate. General Manager of MTN Business Solution, Eric Nsarkoah, General Manager for Procurement, Evelyn Sam, Senior Manager Consumer Marketing, Naana Amegashie, and other top-level managers and staff of MTN were at the forum; and the Managing Director for Ghanabuy.com Mr. Abeiku was also present.