The Corporate Communications Team of MTN Ghana hosted PR professionals of Women in PR Ghana on 8 March 2023 as part of celebrations to mark this year’s International Women’s Day (IWD).

Themed “Digital: Embracing Innovation and Technology as PR Women” the event saw MTN’s Corporate Communications Team engage and interact with over 40 young professionals from Women in PR Ghana, a professional networking organisation committed to educating, mentoring, and empowering female PR professionals and students.

The panel discussion, which was moderated by Lorrencia Adam Nkrumah, Communications Coordinator at Barry Callebaut had panellists including Gina Asare Fiagbenu - Senior Manager, Corporate Communications; Efua Falconer – Manager, Corporate Communications; Afua Serwaa Asafo-Adjei - Communication Advisor-Media Relations, Olivia Mifetu – Internal Communications and Sophia Tandoh – Regulatory Advisor at MTN Ghana.

Commenting on the significance of IWD and hosting PR professionals, Gina Asare Fiagbenu said it was vital for seasoned PR professionals to mentor, nurture and empower the next generation of female professionals to take up the reins of leadership in Ghana’s Public Relations industry.

She said, “Over the years, the Public Relations industry has seen remarkable growth and advancement and as the profession continues to evolve and the younger generation explores careers in Public Relations and Communications, we need to push it forward by mentoring and nurturing them.

"With the advent of innovation and technology, the profession has become more exciting and interesting and opened up new frontiers. Technology continues to help us do better and work more effectively and efficiently as PR professionals.”

She admonished the younger generation to leverage the growing opportunities within the digital world to learn and prepare themselves for the world of work.

Founder of Women in PR Ghana, Faith Senam Ocloo said the event was an opportunity for young PR professionals to learn from seasoned practitioners who have set the pace in the PR profession.

She said it is good to learn from the best and express gratitude to MTN for opening its doors to them. She urged young and aspiring professionals to be willing to learn and serve. 

Discussions focused on the critical role the Corporate Communications team plays in MTN, managing work-life balance, building a PR career, navigating conflicts, issues management, embracing and leveraging technology and innovation in PR, leadership, managing crisis, and media relations, among others.

The team also recognized the value MTN plays in Public Relations and the significant contributions MTN has made towards investing and supporting their work.

The MTN panel noted that the overarching theme of the 2023 International Women’s Day falls right in line with MTN’s Ambition 2025 strategy of leading digital solutions for Africa’s progress and how they are leveraging the power of innovation, technology, innovative Public Relations trends, and digital touchpoints to enhance reputation management and to engage with customers in today’s digital world.