Forty-five-year-old Adiza Ibrahim, a widowed mother of four from Prang in the Pru East District of the Bono East Region, has emerged as the first grand prize winner of the Telecel M'Ahitti Promo, taking home a staggering GH¢1 million.

But her journey to becoming a millionaire was anything but straightforward—her family initially dismissed the news as a scam.

Speaking in an interview, the winner's daughter revealed that the family had participated in the promotion. One day, she decided to use her mother's phone to dial *500# and enter the draw.

A few weeks later, Adiza Ibrahim received a call informing her that she had won a prize. However, rather than celebration, the news was met with suspicion.

"We initially suspected the call could be from fraudsters," the daughter explained. Given the prevalence of mobile money scams in the country, the family's cautious reaction was understandable.

It was only when Telecel officially presented the GH¢1 million prize to them that their doubts were finally cleared.

The Consumer Business Director at Telecel Ghana, Aneth Muga, explained that the M'Ahitti Promo was introduced as a way of giving back to customers for their continued trust and loyalty to the company.

This year's campaign marks a departure from previous promotions, with Telecel set to make three customers millionaires over the next four months—announcing a new millionaire each month.

"M'Ahitti Promo is our way of rewarding that loyalty in a meaningful way," Ms Muga said.

"Instead of announcing one lucky millionaire at the end of the campaign, we are announcing three millionaires. We are rewarding customers across every region of the country".

The promotion will reward 12,000 daily draw winners with GH¢100 each, up to 48 weekly draw winners with GH¢20,000 each, and three grand prize winners with GH¢1 million each.

The Head of Ashanti and Bono Regional Executive of Telecel, Kwaku Asiedu, assured the public that the promotion is genuine and transparent.

According to him, the promo is being conducted in collaboration with the Ghana National Lottery Authority (NLA), which supervises every draw.

"The NLA is proud to provide regulatory oversight during the course of the promo to ensure transparency and integrity of all the draws and winners," said Christiana Antwi, Marketing and Caritas Officer at the NLA.

Every GH¢10 or more recharge, bundle purchase, or cash deposit earns entries into the daily, weekly, and monthly draws. Customers who use Telecel Cash and the Telecel Play App receive additional and double entries.

The winner's daughter has encouraged Ghanaians to take advantage of the promotion, saying anyone who participates could become the next winner.

Telecel has also advised customers to remain vigilant against fraud, stressing that participation is free and winners will never be asked to make payments or share their Telecel Cash PIN before receiving their prizes.

For Adiza Ibrahim, what started as a moment of doubt has ended in a life-changing fortune—proof that sometimes, the call you almost ignore could be the one that changes everything.