MTN Ghana Foundation and CalBank have surpassed their own ambitious target in the 2026 Save A Life Blood Donation Drive, collecting 7,020 units of blood in a single day to bolster the reserves of the National Blood Service (NBS) and regional hospital blood banks across all 16 regions of Ghana.
The exercise, held on Friday, February 13, 2026, activated 47 designated donation centres nationwide, with major collection hubs in Accra at the MTN Ghana Head Office, the CalBank Head Office at Ridge, and the MobileMoney Limited (MML) office at the Standard Chartered Building. The 7,020 units collected exceeded the campaign’s 7,000-unit target, with each donor contributing one unit of blood.
NBS Chief Executive Officer, Dr Shirley Owusu-Ofori, described MTN Ghana Foundation’s sustained support as a “game changer” for Ghana’s healthcare sector. “Our vision is to create a system built entirely upon voluntary blood donation, since regular voluntary donors represent the safest and most reliable blood supply,” she said. “I am genuinely gratified by the MTN Ghana Foundation’s ongoing dedication over the years to advancing the internationally recognised gold standard in blood donation.”
MTN Ghana Chief Executive Officer, Stephen Blewett, said a reliable blood supply was central to the country’s health security. “We all understand that a reliable blood supply is essential for managing emergencies, disaster preparedness, and maintaining high standards of healthcare. Even routine medical procedures can become hazardous if blood is not readily available,” he said. He challenged MTN Ghana’s customers and the wider public to aim for 10,000 units in future campaigns.
For CalBank, the partnership represented a deliberate extension of its corporate responsibility beyond financial services. “This is not just corporate social responsibility. We are actively strengthening Ghana’s public health infrastructure,” said Carl Selasi Asem, Managing Director of CalBank. “CalBank is fully committed to growing this initiative into an even more impactful annual intervention.”
Adwoa Wiafe, Chief Corporate Services and Sustainability Officer at MTN Ghana, described the 2026 drive as historic, noting it was the first time the foundation had joined forces with a fellow corporate institution to deliver the campaign. “Meaningful change is seldom achieved in isolation, and our partnership with CalBank truly made a tangible difference,” she said. “It is this spirit of unity and collaboration that forms the foundation of a thriving nation.”
The Save A Life campaign has been running since 2011 and has now mobilised over 35,000 units of blood for hospitals including the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital and the 37 Military Hospital. This year’s result marks a significant increase from the 2025 edition, which yielded 5,901 units across 42 collection centres.
MTN Ghana Foundation said it would continue expanding its corporate partnerships to grow the national blood supply, with both MTN and CalBank indicating the collaboration is expected to become a regular annual fixture with progressively higher targets.
