Clydestone Ghana Plc has commenced legal proceedings against Scancom Plc, operators of MTN Ghana, MTN Group Limited and MobileMoney Fintech Limited over the alleged unauthorised use of intellectual property connected to the development of a mobile money business in Ghana.

The Ghanaian financial technology company filed a Writ of Summons and Statement of Claim at the Commercial Division of the High Court of Ghana on July 27, 2026.

Clydestone said the case relates to proprietary intellectual property, confidential commercial information and an operational methodology it claims to have developed during an engagement commissioned by MTN Ghana in 2007.

The company is seeking declarations, damages, equitable remedies and any other orders the court considers appropriate. The claims remain allegations and have not yet been determined by the High Court.

Clydestone’s 2007 engagement with MTN Ghana

According to Clydestone, MTN Ghana approached the company in 2007 to develop a comprehensive commercial and operational framework for the launch of a mobile money business in Ghana.

The engagement reportedly formed part of a commercial relationship between the two companies dating back to 1998.

Clydestone said the work was personally developed and delivered by its Founder and Group Chief Executive Officer, Paul Jacquaye.

The company described the work as a complete mobile money ecosystem covering the commercial model, operational architecture, implementation methodology and supporting business case.

Clydestone claims the work was provided on the understanding that the parties would enter into a Non-Disclosure Agreement and a Memorandum of Understanding to govern how the information would be used.

However, the company alleges that the agreements were never signed despite repeated requests and assurances that they would be executed.

It further claims that MTN Ghana later used its proprietary work, commercial methodology and operational intelligence without permission or compensation.

Clydestone also alleges that elements of the commercial model and operational architecture subsequently used by MTN Mobile Money in Ghana and other African markets were materially derived from the work it submitted in 2007.

Why Clydestone is taking legal action now

Clydestone said the alleged unauthorised use had continued since MTN Mobile Money Ghana launched in 2009.

However, the company explained that it could not previously determine the full commercial scale and geographical reach of the mobile money platform using publicly available information.

It said two publications released in 2026 provided independently verifiable information that allowed the company to assess the scale and commercial significance of the business.

The first was the GSMA State of the Industry Report on Mobile Money 2026, published on March 24, 2026, which identified Ghana as the world’s highest-ranked mobile money regulatory market.

The second was MTN Ghana’s 2025 Annual Report, published on the Ghana Stock Exchange on March 30, 2026.

According to Clydestone’s announcement, the annual report disclosed approximately 19.3 million active Mobile Money users and annual Mobile Money revenue of about GH¢6 billion.

Following the publication of the reports, Clydestone said it assembled and reviewed its records relating to the 2007 engagement.

The company said the review convinced its board that there were sufficient grounds to commence legal proceedings.

Clydestone also stated that it had not received payment or acknowledgment from any of the defendants for the commissioned work since December 2007.

It added that pre-action correspondence sent by its legal counsel in 2026 did not receive a substantive response from the defendants.

Board approves court action

Clydestone’s board unanimously authorised the legal action, with the support of the company’s majority shareholder.

The board said the proceedings were in the best interests of the company and its shareholders and confirmed that all required constitutional approvals had been obtained.

Commenting on the case, Paul Jacquaye said the proceedings were about accountability for commissioned intellectual property.

He said the company reviewed the original documents after information published in 2025 and 2026 revealed the commercial scale of the Mobile Money business.

According to him, the board concluded that court action was justified and necessary, leaving the High Court to determine the matter based on the evidence and applicable law.

Operations not affected

Clydestone said the court proceedings would not affect its customers, operations or ongoing business activities.

The announcement was issued as part of the company’s continuing disclosure obligations under the Ghana Stock Exchange Listing Rules.

Clydestone said it would not comment further on the substantive matters before the court, except through the judicial process or where disclosure is required by law or regulatory obligations.

The company also cautioned shareholders that the announcement does not predict the outcome of the proceedings and advised investors to exercise appropriate caution while the case remains before the court.

Clydestone Ghana was established in 1989 and has been listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange since May 2004. The company provides payment infrastructure and financial technology services to banks, financial institutions, merchants and public-sector organisations.

The article is based on Clydestone Ghana’s regulatory announcement dated July 28, 2026.