MTN Ghana opens SavannahFest in Tamale with 16-team football gala

Pinned summary · as of 04:19

MTN Ghana opened this year's SavannahFest in Tamale on Wednesday, 16 September, with community football, music and health events planned through to 3 October. The programme is part of the telecom company's 30th anniversary year, and the football gala has grown from four teams to 16.

What we know

• MTN Ghana launched the 2026 SavannahFest in Tamale on Wednesday, 16 September, with a programme running from 18 September to 3 October.
• The Inter-Community Football Gala now has 16 teams, up from four in the previous edition. Play began on Friday, 18 September, and the finals are set for Saturday, 3 October.
• Kakpayili FC won the opening fixture 1-0 against Tolon FC, and Sabonjida FC then defeated Sanzirigu FC 3-0. Both reports say MTN's Richard Asamani, who oversees sales in the north, was pleased with the football on display.
• Beyond football, the schedule lists a concert at the Modern City Hotel on 19 September, a clean-up on 25 September covering the Taxi Station and Tamale Teaching Hospital, and a health walk with free screening at Jubilee Park on 26 September.
• Mr Asamani said the anniversary rewards include nine Toyota Land Cruiser Prados, alongside cash, lifestyle and digital prizes, and that 30 high-value customers were sent to the United States for the FIFA World Cup. He also said the Heroes of Change top prize had doubled, moving up to GH₵400,000 from the earlier GH₵200,000.
• Mr Asamani pointed to MTN's recent work in the Northern Region, which covers Bright Scholarships, SME training, digital skills programmes and a digital resource centre costing GH₵9.7 million, built in Tamale on the University for Development Studies' Dungu Campus.

What's disputed / unconfirmed

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  The Kumasi Mail placed the opening matches at NOBISCO Park, while The Custodian named a park belonging to the Northern School of Business Senior High. Neither report says whether these are one and the same ground. The two also spell the winners of the first match differently, Kakpayili and Kakpagyili.
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  Accounts differ on when the northern Land Cruiser prizes changed hands. The Custodian quoted Mr Asamani saying three would be handed over on launch day, whereas the Kumasi Mail reported him saying they were presented on Thursday, after three earlier ones went to winners in Accra.
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  According to the Kumasi Mail, the Saturday concert featured live-band sets from Samini, Sherifatu Gunu, Fancy Gadam and King Ayisoba. The Custodian did not cover the concert, so the line-up has not been confirmed elsewhere.
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  The Custodian reported that a health walk and free screening took place over the weekend with Savanna Opticals and Eyecare, covering eye tests and blood sugar and blood pressure checks, and that hundreds of residents took part. Dr Daniel Opoku Gyamfi of the eye-care firm led the screening. The Kumasi Mail only listed the event as upcoming.
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  The Custodian said this is the second SavannahFest and that Nyohini FC beat Sakasaka FC in the earlier final. The Kumasi Mail did not report those details.
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  The Kumasi Mail reported Mr Asamani as saying MTN has carried out close to 200 social impact projects, and that this year's edition brought bigger prizes and appearance fees for teams. The Custodian did not carry these claims.
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  Ibrahim Alhassan, the National Sports Authority's Northern Regional Director, urged teams to show their talent with discipline, asked players and fans to accept referees' decisions, and called on teams to bring in chiefs and religious leaders. Only the Kumasi Mail reported his remarks.
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  The Kumasi Mail listed the next fixtures: Group B and Group C on Sunday, 20 September, and Group D on Monday, 21 September. These times have not been confirmed by other reports.

Why it matters for Ghana

For residents of Tamale, Sagnarigu and Tolon, the festival offers a football competition open to community teams, a clean-up at two busy public sites and free health checks. The screening is a chance for people who rarely see a clinician to have their eyes, blood sugar and blood pressure looked at. The prizes and events are also a marketing push by the telecom company in the Northern Region during its anniversary year.