Telecel Ghana has opened three additional community shops in Kumasi in a bid to bring telecom services closer to the doorstep of everyday Ghanaian, as part of its Ashanti Month celebrations.

The new outlets, strategically located within Abuakwa, Kaase and Ahodwo, are designed to serve as convenient hubs for residents to access a wide range of Telecel Ghana’s services, including SIM replacement and Telecel Cash transactions.

Unlike its retail stores, Telecel’s community shops operate through partnerships with local entrepreneurs, an innovative model that integrates telecom services into existing community businesses.

This approach encourages diversification of services offered by local enterprises while expanding the telco’s reach in underserved areas.

“We are opening these community shops during Ashanti Month to increase availability and access for customers, so they don’t have to travel long distances to our retail shops. Community shops have contributed to keeping our active base as customers can find us and get things fixed easily.

Additionally, partnering existing businesses in communities helps these enterprises to diversify their services and revenue streams while expanding our reach,” said Mercy Dawn Akude, General Manager of Commercial Operations at Telecel Ghana, during the ceremonial ribbon-cutting at the Abuakwa Community Shop.

Mercy also said the partnership for expansion approach is part of a broader plan to empower more local entrepreneurs and extend Telecel’s community shop concept to more regions in the coming months.

Currently, Telecel Ghana has over 420 physical touchpoints across the country, with a target to end the year with a total of 500 shops nationwide.

For local entrepreneurs, the community shop model has opened new avenues for growth in services, revenue and outlook.

“Partnering with Telecel has expanded my business and improved the shop’s look as well,” said Dennis Asamoah, the partner entrepreneur behind the new Abuakwa shop.

“Now I can serve Telecel customers in Abuakwa who want to do Telecel Cash, SIM replacement, top-ups and many more.”

The new community shops roll-out forms part of Telecel Ghana’s Ashanti Month this June, a month-long celebration of the partnerships, cultural heritage and economic vitality of the Ashanti Region.

The suite of activities for the celebration includes market activations, enterprise customer engagements, health outreach, educational donations, and regional greening initiatives.

Residents in and around Ahodwo, Kaase and Abuakwa can now walk into the new shops to resolve their Telecel account issues and get support for SIM replacement, Telecel Cash transactions, as well as purchase airtime and devices without travelling long distances.

With its Ashanti Month festivities in full swing this month, Telecel Ghana’s community expansion approach through partnerships reaffirms its place as an active player in the region’s social and economic fabric.