Press Releases

MTN launches SMS campaign in support of 1GOAL: Education for All initiative

MTN, Africa’s leading telecoms provider, this week activated a month-long SMS campaign throughout its operations in Africa and the Middle East aimed at garnering global support for universal access to education.

This campaign is expected to receive the support of MTN’s 123 million strong subscribers in 21 countries.

The campaign is run under the auspices of 1GOAL: Education for All initiative (1GOAL), a 2010 FIFA World Cup™ legacy project that is supported by MTN, Africa’s first and only global sponsor of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, world football governing body FIFA, world leaders, the GSM Association, other mobile operators, global football stars, educational champions and charities.

The 1GOAL campaign seeks to accelerate access to education to 72 million children worldwide by 2015.

The SMS campaign by MTN will run from 1 May to 31 July and will be available to over 123 million MTN subscribers in Africa and the Middle East. MTN subscribers can show their support for 1GOAL for free by texting their names to the short code below in accordance with their country of residence.

1GOAL will then deliver the millions of names collected through the campaign to the governments ahead of the next United Nations meeting on Millennium Development Goals (MDG) in September 2010.

Identified short codes
Guinea Bissau - 64625
Guinea Conakry - tbc
Liberia - 64625
Cote d’Ivoire - 456
Ghana - 1995
Benin - 1020
Nigeria - 64625
Cameroon - 8703
Congo Brazzaville - 6060
Syria - 64625
Cyprus - 8989
Yemen - 64625
Afghanistan - 64625
Sudan - 64625
Uganda - 171
Rwanda - 64625
Zambia - 4625
Swaziland - 64625
South Africa - 30571

Details of campaign will be communicated in each country either by SMS or Please Call Me tag messages.

Non-MTN subscribers can sign up for the 1GOAL campaign on www.join1goal.org

Said Ms Nozipho January-Bardill, MTN Group Executive Corporate Affairs: “As a company that is firmly rooted in Africa, MTN is acutely aware of the importance of education as a catalyst for socio-economic development. Through 1GOAL, MTN seeks to leverage its sponsorship of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ to foster access to education and leave a lasting legacy that will endure long after the tournament.”

World leaders that have expressed their support of the 1GOAL campaign include United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, South African President Jacob Zuma, Ghanaian President John Atta Mills, Her Majesty Queen Rania of Jordan and FIFA President Sepp Blatter.

Footballers and celebrities who have thrown their weight behind the campaign include Portugal’s legend Eusébio, retired French footballer Zinedine Zidane, England manager Fabio Capello, Bafana Bafana captain Aaron Mokoena, renowned philanthropist and musician Bono, pop sensations Kelly Rowlands and Shakira.