Social performance highlights

• MTN Group’s staff complement was 14 067. Some
  1 700 employees joined the Group through organic growth and 4 676 through corporate acquisitions.
• The Group percentage for staff turnover during the year was 8%. Our target for the coming year is between 5% and 7%.
• Total Group payroll expenditure for 2006 was
  R2,5 billion.
• Training and education for all MTN Group companies is set at approximately 5% of their labour budget on employee training.
• Total MTN Group expenditure for training in 2006 was R133 million.
• In South Africa, overall expenditure for training was R53 million. This exceeded the skills development levy of 1% of the labour bill by 4%, ie MTN’s training expenditure amounted to 5% of the labour bill.
• Furthermore, MTN South Africa invested R6,9 million in learnerships and internships in 2006.

• The MTN foundation model is the foremost corporate social responsibility (CSR) management structure for the MTN Group’s related initiatives across all operations.
• MTN Cameroon officially launched its foundation in February 2006, bringing to three the number of operations with formal foundations.
• Total CSR spend across the nine operations covered in the sustainability review amounted to R78.7 million.

• MTN South Africa continues to sponsor the national television programme, Beat It, launched in association with the SABC in 2005. The programme deals primarily with HIV/AIDS-related themes. Estimated viewership has increased from 350 000 in 2005 to 11,5 million in 2006.
• In Nigeria, MTN formally launched the first of its six targeted HIV/AIDS voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) centres in April 2006. Situated in Kogi State, the VCT centre was built, equipped and donated as part of the MTN foundation’s focus on healthcare related community programmes. The centre offers pre- and post-test HIV counseling, care and support. More than 500 in-school youth have received training as peer educators in the programme. The centre aims to provide education and services to pregnant women relating to prevention of mother-to-child transmission. More than 250 people have received counseling since the opening of the first VCT centre.

• The MTN Schools Connectivity Programme in South Africa has established 183 multimedia centres todate; the centres are aimed at improving the quality of education and access to information technology for learners in rural areas. In February 2006, six schools in Limpopo Province received multimedia centres, raising the number of schools connected to 40.
• The MTN Nigeria Foundation’s SchoolsConnect project has benefited nearly 50 000 learners and more than
  2 000 teachers to date. The third phase will expand the roll out of computer laboratories in the region, each complete with 21 computers, a server and VSAT interconnectivity.
• The MTN Cameroon Foundation has successfully implemented 20 multimedia centres in secondary schools and universities in the country as part of its school connectivity programme. Each of the multimedia centres is equipped with at least 20 computers, a server and VSAT connectivity. This project currently reaches more than 60 000 learners.

• Established in April 2005, the ICT and rural entrepreneurship programme in South Africa aims to empower women entrepreneurs through seminars and business training. To date, MTN has established 30 business centres and educated and trained 1 050 women entrepreneurs – an increase of 500 over 2005 trainee figure.

• MTN South Africa launched MTN@ccess in the township of Alexandra, north of Johannesburg, in June 2006. Via an online portal, the facility provides convenient internet connectivity and access to a wealth of educational information to one of the country’s poorest communities.
• MTN Uganda constructed three school blocks for a school in Jinja, eastern Uganda. The project formed part of MTN’s deliberate strategy of partnering with communities in creating sustainable development. MTN staff arranged a fun day for learners during which they assisted in painting and cleaning classroom blocks.
• MTN Swaziland donated US$60 000 to refurbish one of the country’s busiest hospitals. The donations were used to refurbish a maternity ward at the Raleigh Fitkin Memorial Hospital in Manzini, east of the capital Mbabane.
• VillagePhone Rwanda, a partnership with the Grameen Foundation, has since June 2005, benefited some 50 Rwandans. The project, which will soon be available in 14 of Rwanda’s 30 districts, aims to create 3 000 new businesses throughout the country.

• The MTN Nigeria rural telephone project, a microfinance scheme under the MTN Foundation’s economic empowerment portfolio, won the award for Best Use of Phone in the Community granted by the GSM Association at the 3GSM World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. The Akede Project was first launched with 30 ‘phone ladies’ in 2004. Today 100 women participate in 20 communities. The project trains and equips rural women with the skills and equipment needed to start a call centre in their communities. The equipment includes a handset, SIM pack, airtime, promotional materials, antennae and a battery pack.
• In February 2006, MTN was voted Most Socially Responsible Company by THISDAY Awards in Nigeria. MTN received the award ahead of other significant corporate players.
• MTN South Africa received the Progressive Company of the Year award at the Black Management Forum Presidential Awards for Business Leadership. This category rewards companies based on their growth, transformation, empowerment, support of small and medium enterprises and corporate social responsibility initiatives.