April 2026

The Telecel Ghana Foundation has conducted free antenatal outreach under its Rural Ultrasound Scan initiative at the Naaha Health Centre in the Wa West District of the Upper West Region.

Maternal health professionals performed ultrasound scans and provided prenatal  education and specialist consultations to 134 expectant mothers from the host community and surrounding areas, including Ga, Kulmasa, Tanina, Kunfabiala and Dadafuri, among others.

Organised in collaboration with DMAC Foundation, the Rural Ultrasound initiative aims to improve access to essential maternal healthcare services in rural communities where diagnostic facilities are limited.

Expectant mothers receive early pregnancy assessments, childbirth guidance and health referrals, where necessary, to support safe and healthy pregnancies.

Speaking on the impact of the initiative, Sahaji Swaidin, public health nurse in charge of the Naaha sub-district, highlighted the urgent need for such interventions in the community.

“This initiative came at a very vital time. We are in dire need of antenatal support for our pregnant women. Most women in the Naaha community must travel long distances to Wa and other areas to access maternal care. We are grateful to Telecel Foundation and DMAC Foundation for bringing this support closer to our women,” Mr Swaidin said.

Majid Wasiwa, a pregnant resident from a far-flung community in Wa East, travelled over 130 kilometres to Naaha to benefit from the initiative. “I am very happy to get the opportunity to be scanned. I came from Yaro, which is quite far from Naaha, just to access this service.”

Rita Agyeiwaa Rockson, Head of Foundation, Sustainability and External Communications at Telecel Ghana, noted that the initiative forms part of the Foundation’s Connected Health pillar and aligns with Sustainable Development Goal 3.1, which focuses on reducing the global maternal mortality ratio.

The global aim is to reduce the maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 per 100,000 live births by 2030.

“This initiative is about ensuring that no expectant mother is left behind due to distance or cost. By bringing ultrasound services directly to communities, we are enabling early detection of pregnancy-related illnesses, improving maternal health outcomes, and supporting safer pregnancies,” she said.

Through its Rural Ultrasound Scan initiative, Telecel Foundation is driving meaningful impact in maternal health, ensuring that distance is no longer a barrier to timely diagnosis, proper care and safer pregnancies.

The Rural Ultrasound initiative is a life-saving programme for expecting mothers in underserved communities, as it helps to bridge the healthcare access gap and alleviate the financial burden of maternal healthcare on women.

Source : www. citinewsroom.com

MTN Group has joined a USD 45 million Series A funding round in ORAN Development Corporation (ODC), a United States-based company building what it describes as the first artificial intelligence (AI)-native, open-architecture radio access network platform, with the investment reflecting the continent’s growing push toward next-generation network infrastructure.

The round, announced on March 26, 2026, was led by a global syndicate that included Booz Allen Hamilton, Cisco, Nokia, and NVIDIA, alongside telecoms operators AT&T, MTN Group, and Telecom Italia. Phoenix Venture Partners and prior investors linked to Cerberus Capital Management also participated.

ODC will use the capital to accelerate commercial deployment of its Odyssey Radio Access Network (RAN) platform, a software stack that integrates wireless connectivity with AI processing at the network edge. The company describes its approach as a Distributed Compute Grid, aimed at transforming telecom infrastructure into a network of AI processing hubs capable of supporting applications ranging from industrial robotics to autonomous systems and generative AI.

For Africa, the investment carries particular significance. Mazen Mroue, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of MTN Digital Infrastructure, said AI-RAN represents a leapfrog opportunity to deliver world-class intelligence from large cities to remote rural villages across the continent. “This isn’t just about connectivity; it’s about building the distributed AI compute foundation required to accelerate financial inclusion, industrial autonomy, and local innovation, serving as a true force-for-good and supporting the development of Sovereign AI across the continent,” he said.

Nokia’s Chief Technology and AI Officer, Pallavi Mahajan, said the investment reflects the direction the industry is heading, toward more software-driven, AI-ready platforms that can support both 5G and 6G networks. Cisco’s Senior Vice President and General Manager for Provider Mobility, Masum Mir, said AI decision-making moving to the edge makes the mobile network the central fabric of the digital economy.

NVIDIA Senior Vice President of Telecom, Ronnie Vasishta, said ODC’s platform is turning today’s 5G networks into a distributed AI computing fabric at the wireless edge and creating a pathway toward 6G.

ODC Chairman Shaygan Kheradpir said the funding will enable the company to scale its engagement with global partners and accelerate commercial deployments throughout 2026.

MTN Group, which operates across 16 African markets and has been deepening its AI and digital infrastructure investments, earlier this year committed USD 1.1 billion in capital expenditure to Ghana over the next three years, targeting data centres, network expansion, and digital skills development. MTN Group’s participation in ODC’s Series A extends that strategy to the infrastructure layer underpinning next-generation AI-native networks.

Source : www.newsghana.com.gh