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👋🏿 This week, Ghana’s telecoms gave us a soap opera, the cedi picked a fight with imports, and GCB pitched itself as TikTok’s cashier. We also found out radio is still king, and Chef Abby is serving culture with her cooking. Strap in because it’s mergers, money, and momo with a side of jollof.

🎬 Watch: Why Accelerator Programs are gaining momentum in Africa?

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Today’s Top Story

AT + Telecel = ? To Merge or Not: Is That The Question

Ghana’s telecom sector spent the week looking like a telenovela. One day, the government says it has hired KPMG to advise on a possible AT–Telecel merger. The next day, it denies there is any deal. Meanwhile, more than three million AirtelTigo subscribers suddenly found themselves riding on Telecel’s network after ATC Ghana switched off AT’s towers over unpaid debts.

For the ordinary consumer, the picture is mixed. AT users woke up to find their calls and data quietly running on Telecel’s system. It kept phones buzzing and AT Money working, but some noticed slower speeds, patchy coverage, and that familiar Ghanaian frustration: “Your call cannot be completed, please try again later.”

The Minister for Communications, Sam George, insists there is no signed merger, only a review. He says KPMG has sixty days to check AT’s debts, study the state’s shares in Telecel, and suggest how to build a second strong operator to challenge MTN’s near 80% market hold. Staff jobs, he adds, are safe. For now.

Not everyone buys the merger math. Industry analyst Maximus Ametorgoh calls it “two weaklings joining hands” and says it won’t shake MTN. Economist Appiah Kusi Adomako disagrees. He believes pooling resources could cut costs, boost rural coverage, and give consumers more choice.

For now, subscribers are stuck in limbo. If you’re on AT, you’re technically on Telecel, but with no clarity on whether this is a short-term fix or the start of something bigger. If you’re on MTN, you probably shrugged and went back to your WhatsApp chats.

It feels like a chop bar debate: will mixing two small soups make a big one, or just more pepper without meat?

The big picture: Until KPMG files its report, the market waits. What is clear is that consumers deserve more than network drama. What they want is simple: affordable data, reliable calls, and no surprises when trying to send momo.

Continue reading here.

Business

Cedi vs. Imports: A Heavyweight Fight with No Referee

The Ghana cedi has gone from being Bloomberg’s global champion to the quarter’s worst performer. After soaring earlier this year on the back of strong gold prices and tight government spending, it has now slipped 13% in the third quarter alone. The reason? Importers are hungry for dollars and the Bank of Ghana does not have enough to go around.

For the average Ghanaian, this story is not about charts and Bloomberg headlines. It is about the price of imported rice, fuel, cement, and even the phone you are reading this on. When the cedi weakens, the chop bar waakye portion somehow shrinks, and the taxi fare from Madina to Circle suddenly feels like you are paying for Uber Black.

Experts are split. The Bank of Ghana says the cedi has still gained 23% this year and insists it is working to keep things “orderly.” Critics like Tweneboah Kodua Fokuo, a deputy ranking member in Parliament, disagree. He argues the earlier appreciation was cosmetic, driven by global factors rather than local reforms. In his words, “interventions are supposed to be short-term. You cannot sustain the cedi by continuously releasing dollars without structure.” Translation: spraying dollars at the problem is like pouring water into a leaking bucket.

So what is the way forward? Economists argue Ghana needs to reduce import dependence and boost local production. If more of what we eat, wear, and build with is made locally, demand for dollars would drop. Others say market forces must be allowed to breathe, with the central bank focusing on long-term stability instead of firefighting.

The bigger picture: The cedi’s swings are not just about traders in Accra’s forex bureaus. They shape the cost of living for every household. Until structural reforms take root, the currency will remain at the mercy of imports, Christmas demand, and global shocks. As one trader put it in Makola, “When the cedi sneezes, the koko seller catches cold.”

Continue reading here.

Creator Economy

GCB Wants to be TikTok’s Cashier in Ghana

For years, Ghanaian TikTok creators have danced, lip-synced, and pulled comedy skits that make us laugh until we choke on our waakye. But when it comes to cashing out, the money vanishes faster than kelewele at midnight. That may soon change.

GCB Bank has stepped up with a big proposal: let us be the middleman who actually pays creators directly. Their plan is simple. Use their existing links with Mastercard and Visa to push TikTok earnings straight into Ghanaian bank accounts, cards, or even MoMo wallets. No shady third parties. No confusing fees. Just your TikTok gifts landing safely where you can withdraw them.

On paper, the idea looks solid. GCB already has the infrastructure, and they claim they can build a secure and transparent payment framework that would make Ghana the first African country where TikTok pays creators directly. That’s not small bragging rights.

For creators, the benefit is clear. More money stays in your pocket instead of getting chopped by “fees” that nobody understands. It could also mean better financial stability, which might push more young Ghanaians to treat content creation as a serious career instead of a weekend hustle.

Of course, the big question is whether TikTok itself will play ball. The company has promised to study the proposal. Until then, Ghanaian creators will keep waiting. But if this works, don’t be surprised if the next viral dance challenge is called “Cashing Out with GCB.”

Continue reading here.

Catching Trends: Did You Know?

🤔Ghana’s economy grew 5.3 % in Q1 2025, with non-oil GDP up 6.8 % across agriculture and services.

🤔Africa’s creator economy is worth $5.1 billion in 2025 and is set to skyrocket to $29.8 billion by 2032 at a 28.7 % growth rate.

🤔Ghana ranks 112th in the 2025 Index of Economic Freedom, with a score of 56.0

Stats For Nerds

88%

Weekly radio reach in Ghana. That means almost 9 out of 10 Ghanaians still tune in, even while TikTok trends, Netflix dramas, and YouTube shorts fight for their attention.

Radio has survived the CD, the iPod, the smartphone, and even data bundles. It’s still the undefeated champ of mass communication in Ghana.

Not bad for a medium where the biggest feature is still someone shouting, “Hello listeners!” at 6 a.m.

Creator Corner

Chef Abby is cooking up more than jollof

Abena Amoakoaa Sintim-Aboagye, aka Chef Abby, turns West African staples into short, cinematic lessons. Her TikTok reels have pulled in a global audience and helped put Ghanaian dishes like waakye, jollof, and banku on more plates than before. She now sits among TIME’s 2025 “100 Most Influential Creators” and has more than 1.4 million followers on TikTok.

How she got here →

• She started by cooking the foods she loves and filming them simply. Her videos mix clear technique, warm storytelling, and a tiny bit of showmanship. 

• TikTok named her to its Global Discover List and showcased her at the Cannes Lions festival, which helped her reach international viewers and industry folks.

• She turned attention into action: she runs longer videos and cooking classes, and she has used big moments to spotlight Ghanaian food on global stages.

What to expect from here: More tidy, recipe-forward videos that feel like mini food tours. Expect cross-platform storytelling: short viral clips, longer YouTube how-tos, and pop-up classes that mix tourism and food. She will keep treating dishes as culture, not just calories. She believes that “When you cook a country's traditional food, you learn its values, its struggles, and its soul.”

Her impact: She has helped move Ghanaian dishes from local plates to global feeds, turning recipes into stories and food into soft cultural diplomacy. 

What other creators must emulate from her:

1. Make culture the story. Recipes carry history. Tell that story in one clear line before you show the pan.

2. Keep the visuals tight. Clean shots and simple edits let flavor do the talking.

3. Use real moments. Chef Abby mixes short clips with longer videos and real events, like classes and festival stages, to build trust and income.

4. Be consistent and curious. She cooks across West Africa, not just the hits, and that curiosity grows both audience and authority.

[Read Their Story →]

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

• September 23: Ghana Tech Summit (Diaspora Edition) [Register Here]

• September 13: Creative Chaos Accra [Register Now]

• November 21–22: Ghana Creators Festival & Awards [Register Here]

Around The Continent 

📅On this day: The Chale Wote Street Art Festival in Jamestown held part of its 2013 program across September 7 and 8. The festival later expanded but those early September dates helped fix it in Accra’s cultural calendar.

😎That’s cool: Lake Volta is the world’s largest man-made lake by surface area at about 8,502 sq km.

🎮 Game: Make two words from the letters in VOLTA.

😲Wow: GhanaSat-1 carried cameras to monitor the coastline and helped build local skills in space tech.

🥺Aww: Families in Bonwire keep looms and patterns alive by teaching the next generation.

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 – Enoch & The Meridian Brief Team