Our commitment to providing acceptable returns on shareholders' investments is matched by our commitment to communicating with our shareholders through regular interaction and presentations.

MTN actively supports economic change in Africa through its procurement policies. In South Africa, suppliers constitute 60% of the group's supply chain, exceeding our targets and contributing to the growth of these companies. Innovative partnerships are providing solutions that enhance performance and productivity, and ease acceptance of wireless technology as a business tool. As far as possible, we focus on building local supply partnerships in the countries in which we operate.

MTN's focus on promoting the development and best use of human talent has resulted in the group consistently being voted among the top 20 companies to work for in South Africa, and the employer of choice in Swaziland and Uganda. Some 6% of MTN's payroll is spent on staff training, considerably above the industry average of 3,2%. The group is also consistently in the top quartile for international telecommunications companies on key human resource indicators, such as staff turnover and revenue per employee.

In line with global best practice, MTN is increasingly focused on providing improved customer service and developing customer-driven communications solutions. MTN is a recognised leader in innovation and is known for the quality of its cellular networks. Customers benefit from service centres, call centres and help desks, providing expert, highly automated support for MTN's high-speed data products and services.

Telecommunications is a regulated industry and MTN engages actively with governments and regulators in all the countries in which it operates. MTN respects the fact that the frequency spectrum is a natural and national resource, and that the management thereof is subject to much public scrutiny.

MTN strives to participate fully in dialogue with governments and regulators on policy and legislative issues and frameworks. While we will lobby for fair treatment in the business interest, we respect the laws of countries in which we operate and the terms of our licence conditions. We endeavour to fulfill the terms of our licence obligations, and to go the extra mile in facilitating universal access to communications services. We will not in any way compromise the national interest of countries where we do business. We also participate actively in industry forums that promote improved health and safety issues relating to mobile telephony