William, who comes from Alavanyo Wudidi in the Volta Region, is one of the 300 beneficiaries of this year’s Vodafone Homecoming – an initiative from the Foundation which settles the medical bills of financially-challenged patients in hospitals across the country. This is to enable beneficiaries spend the Independence Day, which falls on 6^th March, with their families.

Narrating his experience, William said:

“I was going to my farm one morning when someone shot me from behind and I became unconscious immediately after. This incident happened about a month ago. I was treated and finally discharged about two weeks ago but I had to prolong my stay because I couldn’t pay my outstanding bill of Ghc 3,500. I thank Vodafone for coming to my rescue.

Speaking on the intervention, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Vodafone Ghana Yolanda Zoleka Cuba said;

“Vodafone Ghana is happy to relieve people of their bills on the occasion of Ghana’s 61st anniversary. We are saying to patients that they are free to go home to join their families and this is why we call it Homecoming. We have partnerships with various hospitals in every region and they have been helpful in pointing out the cases that we could assist with our relief support.’’

A team from Vodafone Ghana including the Senior Management members visited and interacted with the beneficiaries at the various hospitals before they departed.

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Source: Vodafone Ghana

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The initiative, which screened over 30 pregnant women within Tarkwa and surrounding communities, was organised as part of Vodafone Foundation’s free nationwide screening exercise, Healthfest which was held at the Tarkwa Community Park.

Sharing her excitement Susan said:
“This is my first pregnancy ultra-sound scan experience and I am very grateful to Vodafone Ghana for making this possible. The scan revealed I am carrying a healthy baby boy and I’m so happy and grateful.”

The free pregnancy ultra-sound scan initiative is born out of a partnership between the Vodafone Foundation and Devine and Mother Child Foundation (DMAC), as part of efforts to support the reduction of maternal and child mortality in the country.

The initiative provides free ultra-sound scan for pregnant women in deprived communities across the country.

The project which began in May 2015 has delivered timely maternal healthcare to over 3500 pregnant women in deprived communities across the country.

The technology intervention has also saved beneficiaries from complications and deaths whilst increasing antenatal coverage and improved maternal and child health.

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Credit: Vodafone Ghana

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Sika Kesie is an SMS subscription based trivia that offers customers the chance to win prizes by answering multiple choice questions. The promotion enables customers to accumulate points to win exciting prizes in its weekly and monthly draws. It also provides the platform for the customer with the highest number of points at the end of the campaign, to walk away with a GHS100,000 cash prize.

The promotion is broken down into two segments – the free standard mode where customers do not need to pay for participation and the paid promotion – where customers can pay extra to win bigger rewards in the weekly and monthly draws.

Patricia Obo-Nai, Acting Director for Sales and Marketing at Vodafone Ghana said:

“Already we have exciting feedback from two of our ongoing campaigns – “Yen di Agoro” and “Shake”.  Sika Kesie comes as an addition to the plethora of avenues we are providing to reward our numerous customers. It is simple, easy, engaging and goes to show how we will be unrelenting in giving our customers the very best.”

Customers can simply dial *560# to join the free standard mode, or *570# to join the paid promotion.

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Source: Vodafone Ghana

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The Telecommunications sector underwent key changes last year; notably, increased competition, market consolidation and a heightened demand for choice by customers. Despite all these, Vodafone was unrelenting in its quest to provide unmatched experience for customers whilst stepping up its community investment initiatives.

Among the key awards won included Programme of the Year – Healthline (CIMG), Best Brand of the Year (UKGCC), Best Advert of the Year (CIMG), Industry Personality of the Year – CEO (GITTA), Best in Employee Relations (HR Focus) and Top 50 Corporate Women Leaders in Ghana – CEO, Yolanda Cuba.

Gayheart Mensah, Director for External Affairs at Vodafone Ghana said:

“These are testament to the commitment we continue to put in to ensure we constantly reflect what we stand for as a company. A new year has begun and we will not rest on our laurels in delivering on our promise of an exciting future of endless possibilities for our customers.”

Vodafone has begun the new year on a great note by extending the popular “Ekiki Mi” promotion to the end of January 2018. Customers can now share airtime purchased via Vodafone Cash with five other people and experience an empowerment of being part of a caring family.

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Source: Vodafone Ghana

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The online portal, which is part of a strategic approach by the company to promote digital inclusion, is currently creating a revolution across the country.

With a full endorsement from the Ghana Education Service, Instant Schools responds directly to the perennial problem of lack of teaching materials, textbooks, past examination questions and assessment information in many schools across the country. The initiative is delivering a wide range of basic to advanced learning materials online and gives unlimited access to everyone, from the city to the remote villages.

The Vodafone Ghana Foundation has introduced the platform to over 40 schools in five regions currently; and other schools in the remaining regions are also in line to benefit.  It has a zero-rated unique feature, which means all Vodafone users can access it free of charge on the Vodafone Ghana website.

Commenting, on this, Yolanda Cuba, Chief Executive of Vodafone Ghana said:

“This is a landmark achievement and goes to show the power of education as a tool for change.

We are determined to contribute to enhancing the learning experience for students – to give them a smile on their faces – by making learning a memorable experience. We want to be at the forefront of the educational transformation for the present and future generations. It is a commitment we hold dear to our strategy.”

The Instant Schools platform was launched in November last year as part of a commitment by Vodafone to leave noone behind as it strives to entrench its position as the most innovative and creative telecommunications company in Ghana.

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Source: Vodafone Ghana

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The global concept of using data from mobile networks to make life-saving decisions has become very critical, especially in a world that continues to be transformed by technology every day.

In view of this, Vodafone Ghana, Vodafone Group Foundation, GSS and Flowminder – a non-profit organisation – have come together to lead the way in using anonymised data to track trends in population movement.

This is then analysed for purposes of decision-making for the health, agriculture and transportation sectors, among others.

Vodafone sees this partnership as one that will support Ghana to use valuable metrics in making better analyses and predictions for the greater good of all.

The initiative is also expected to help the country to better measure the Sustainable Development Goal indicators.

Group External Affairs Head of Vodafone, Joakim Reiter said: “We are leading the way in supporting Ghana’s drive to undertake significant reforms to meet the Sustainable Development Goals. With close to five billion telecommunication subscribers globally, the power of the mobile phone cannot be underestimated.

“Mobile data is now dictating the pace by helping countries and organisations make better analyses and predictions and Ghana is in a unique position to become a trailblazer across the continent. Our partnership with the Statistical Service, Vodafone Foundation and Flowminder is one that will ultimately prove why data from mobile networks can become a force for the good of society.”

The Acting Government Statistician, Baah Wadieh said: “Our stock-in-trade is to produce big and relevant data that inures to the benefit of the country and its people. We have seen the opportunities and benefits of using Call Data Records to create transformation in many countries across the world and we are in no doubt that this initiative will transform how socially impacting interventions are made in Ghana.”

The GSS will ultimately take ownership of the project with data reports from Vodafone Ghana, whilst Flowminder will ensure an effective mechanism is in place to mine and analyse the information for significant public benefit. Ultimately, the Ghana government could look to engage more mobile networks to offer a greater pool of information for the country.

This not for profit initiative is a programme of the Vodafone Group Foundation’s Connecting for Good initiative and is also receiving generous funding from the Hewlett Packard Foundation.

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Source: Vodafone Ghana

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This represents the first major change to the way the telecom company communicates since the introduction of the “Power to You” strapline in 2009.

The repositioning, which was launched on October 6, 2017 and has been rolled out across all its markets including Ghana, is to underline Vodafone’s belief that new technologies and digital services will play a significant role in transforming society and enhancing quality of life in the years ahead.

It defines Vodafone’s purpose in the changing world of technology as partnering governments and the customer in a way that offers confidence and optimism for exploiting emerging technologies.

As part of the repositioning, the strapline “Power to You” now becomes, “The Future is Exciting. Ready?

This is to reflect the deepened partnership with, and commitment to customers in the ever-changing space of technology.

It also reflects a commitment by Vodafone to communicate with customers in a more engaging and exciting manner. The change is indicative of Vodafone’s resolve to stand by customers each step of the way as they navigate the dynamic and fast moving space of technology.

Chief Executive of Vodafone Ghana, Yolanda Cuba said:

“Technology is undergoing tremendous changes globally, influenced by rapid innovation and the desire by customers for efficiency and expansion of digital services. Our repositioning and new visual identity, which finds expression in the strapline, “The future Is exciting. Ready?” will completely transform how we engage and will give customers reasons to be optimistic about the future. It is also aligned with our vision to ignite Ghana’s digital revolution.”

Yolanda Cuba was of the view that Vodafone’s promise of empowerment through the concept of “Power to You” completely transformed how the company engaged with customers and businesses when it was unveiled in 2009. However, that relationship with customers ought to be taken some notches higher.

“Our global and local research have revealed that customers across markets believe that the way technology is evolving through connectivity makes the future exciting and we want everybody to benefit every step of the way, hence, the transition from ‘Power to You’ to ‘The future is exciting. Ready?'”Vodafone’s C.E.O. said.

Across key media and outdoor channels, Vodafone’s unique change is being showcased to define a digital-first, modern and dynamic agenda that will entrench the company’s industry leadership in customer experience, innovation and thought-leadership.

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Source: Vodafone Ghana

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Using his twitter handle @NakufoAddo, the President on Thursday tweeted ‘’I commend the organisers of #SMWiAccra for hosting such a successful international event in Accra and boosting the City’s tourism.’’ He also tweeted ‘’Social media is obviously an integral part of our lives and we, in government, must use it to bring development to our people’’

As part of the week, Vodafone Ghana partnered Facebook and Google to register 1,000 small scale businesses online. This is part of efforts to empower businesses to take advantage of the benefits of social media in becoming successful entities.

The week-long event also covered masterclasses on key social media platforms including twitter and google, and how individuals and businesses could benefit from them. Participants were also taken through sessions on various topics such as ‘the power of twitter’, ‘building a digital career in Ghana’ and ‘creating content people love’.

Social Media Week is a global event which has been hosted in over 20 cities across the country. The week-long event, which is underway started on the 11th – 15th September 2017 in Accra, will cover forums, conferences, sofa sessions and masterclasses on how individuals and businesses can benefit from social media. The event has been hosted in over 20 cities globally.

Social Media Week is organised by Echo House Ghana and powered by telecommunication giant, Vodafone Ghana.

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Credit: Vodafone Ghana

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‘Ekiki Mi’ (I feel electrified) is an exciting and unprecedented opportunity for customers to engage more with friends and family.

Customers can now purchase a recharge card and share the same value with two other people.

“For any credit card you buy from GH¢2 onwards, you can share it with two other friends or family members and they will enjoy the same value as you,” Director of Marketing, Sales and events, Agnes Emefa Essah said.

She added, “All you need to do is load your credit dialling 134-your PIN – and the hash tag sign to receive the same value.”

Bonus airtime, to be enjoyed by the two loved ones, can only be used for on-net voice calls and ‘Pay-As-You-Go’ data.

The loved ones must top up within three days of receiving the recharge card and bonus air times have a validity of two days.

The ‘Ekiki Mi’ promotion is expected to roll out for the next two months with terms and conditions pertaining to the package still holding.

Meanwhile, Vodafone has revealed plans of focusing its energies on the digital revolution in Ghana.

The telecom company said it will be extending its tentacles to cover prospective subscribers in regions of the country which do not have access to fast and reliable internet.

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Source: Vodafone Ghana

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Despite taking over the reins at the company in a little over a year, Yolanda has already exhibited a will to win and has put in place a comprehensive strategy to transform the telecommunication giant. Yolanda has already captured the entire country with her passion to pursue an agenda to ignite Ghana’s digital revolution.

Her love for CSR and community engagement, for instance, has led to the launch of Instant schools – a digital educational platform that is currently giving free extra classes for students across several academic cycles in Ghana. It builds into an ethos by Vodafone to ensure all children of school-going age can have access to free education on the go without having to pay for it. With less than eight months into the launch of the initiative, a total of 1.8million users have been recorded. Yolanda has also been instrumental in the launch of Vodafone SuperCare – a dedicated customer service line for the speech and hearing impaired in society.

Additionally, she led the company to embark on an extensive strategic cost programme, which yielded impressive results in the area of operational costs. These efficiencies are also responsible for a significant improvement in Vodafone’s *Earnings before Interest Taxes Depreciation and Amortisation* (EBITDA) as the company looks to return to profitable levels in the near future.

Vodafone also won three other awards on the day; Digital Transformation, best Wholesale Company and Telecom brand of the year.

Commenting after receiving the recognition, Yolanda said:

“I am proud of each of the awards but I, particularly, want to single out the digital transformation award. We committed a few months ago to drive digital inclusion in Ghana and began our transformation journey. It is exciting to start reaping the fruits of our commitment and actions. We do not have the biggest budget but we have the biggest will to win and that is most satisfying.”

The GITTA awards night is Ghana’s first and only platform for recognizing excellence in the ICT industry. The awards represent the most respected accolade in the industry, celebrating excellence in innovation, product development and service delivery.

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Source: Vodafone Ghana

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