Clydestone Accuses MTN Ghana of IP Theft in Landmark Mobile Money Lawsuit
Financial technology firm Clydestone Ghana has initiated legal proceedings against telecommunications giant MTN Ghana (Scancom PLC), its parent company MTN Group Limited, and MobileMoney Fintech LTD, alleging the unauthorized use of intellectual property related to the development of mobile money services. The lawsuit, filed in the Commercial Division of the High Court in Accra, centres on claims that proprietary intellectual property, confidential commercial information, and operational methodologies developed by Clydestone were exploited by MTN without proper authorization or compensation.
According to Clydestone’s statement, the dispute stems from a commissioned engagement in 2007, where Clydestone was tasked with developing a comprehensive commercial and operational framework for MTN Ghana’s nascent mobile money business. This engagement was reportedly part of an established commercial relationship between the parties dating back to 1998. Clydestone asserts it delivered a complete package, including a commercial model, operational architecture, implementation methodology, and a supporting business case. Crucially, Clydestone contends that this work was commissioned under the mutual understanding that a Non-Disclosure Agreement and a Memorandum of Understanding would be executed to govern its use, agreements that were allegedly never finalized despite repeated requests.
The legal action claims that MTN Ghana subsequently utilized Clydestone’s proprietary work, commercial methodology, and operational intelligence without authorization or compensation. Clydestone alleges that elements of this developed framework were later implemented within MTN Mobile Money Ghana and subsequently deployed across multiple African jurisdictions. The company’s Founder and Group CEO, Paul Jacquaye, stated, “This case is about accountability for commissioned intellectual property. MTN approached Clydestone, commissioned our work, and received the benefit of that work.”
Clydestone explains that the full commercial scale of its contribution was not readily apparent from publicly available information for many years. However, independent publications in 2025 and 2026, including the GSMA’s State of the Industry Report on Mobile Money 2026 and MTN Ghana’s 2025 Annual Report, revealed the significant scale of MTN’s mobile money operations. The latter report indicated 19.3 million active mobile money users in Ghana as of December 31, 2025, and annual revenues of 6 billion Ghanaian cedi (US$515.5 million). Clydestone views these disclosures as providing independently verifiable evidence of the full scale and commercial significance of what was built upon its proprietary foundation, prompting the current legal action. The alleged wrongful use of its work, Clydestone claims, has been ongoing since the launch of MTN Mobile Money Ghana in 2009.
MTN Ghana has issued a statement confirming receipt of the “writ of summons and statement of claim” and asserting that it “does not accept the claims made, considers them without merit, and will contest the proceedings fully.” The company assured stakeholders that the proceedings do not impact its operations, services, performance, or results. MTN has indicated it will not comment further on the substantive issues while the matter is before the court. The relief sought by Clydestone includes declarations, damages, and equitable remedies.
