The Chief Executive Officer of MTN Ghana, Stephen Blewett, has pushed back against allegations that the company is stealing customer data, following a surge in public concern over disappearing data bundles.
His response comes amid growing complaints from subscribers about rapid data depletion and, in some cases, entirely unexplained losses.
Speaking on the issue on Friday, April 17, Blewett firmly denied that MTN engages in any form of data manipulation.
“There’s zero incentive for MTN to steal data from you. That would just chase people away. It’s not something we do; it’s not part of our values.”
He argued that the company has no incentive to do so, as such practices would only drive users away and harm MTN’s reputation.
Instead, he pointed to changing data consumption habits, noting that modern smartphone usage has fundamentally altered how quickly data is used.
Background app activity, automatic updates, and the rising demand for high-quality video streaming, he explained, are key drivers of increased data usage.
Blewett also encouraged customers to take a more active role in managing their data by monitoring app behaviour, adjusting video quality settings, and controlling background processes.
“As customers, we also have a lot of responsibility. We need to be very mindful of how we use our data,” he said.