Category: Media releases

MTN, together with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and its strategic partners, has announced the winners of the 2025 Africa PachiPanda Challenge, concluding a continent-wide search for scalable, youth-led environmental enterprises driving Africa’s green economy.

Hosted at the MTN Innovation Centre in Johannesburg this week, the finale marked the culmination of a highly competitive process that attracted 2,484 youth-led small and medium enterprises from across multiple African markets. Guided by the theme, “Nourishing Tomorrow: Innovation for Food, Energy and Water Security,” the Challenge spotlighted commercially viable solutions addressing systemic environmental pressures while advancing inclusive, low-carbon growth.

Arnaud Njita of Cameroon won first place for nTron STEM Kit, converting plastic waste into 3D-printing filament for STEM education; Ndaman Joshua Olayinka from Nigeria secured second for BuyScrap, a tech-enabled e-waste recycling platform; and Bill Agha of Cameroon placed third for AgriCheck, a climate-smart digital agriculture solution. Together, they reflect the strength of youth-led innovation driving circular economy and climate resilience across Africa.

“Africa’s youth are not just responding to the climate challenge – they are shaping the solutions,” said Nompilo Morafo, MTN Chief Sustainability and Corporate Affairs Officer. “Through the PachiPanda Challenge, MTN is backing youth-led innovation that can scale environmental impact and unlock economic opportunities that could help enable long-term resilience for communities across the continent.”

The Challenge reflects the scale of opportunity within Africa’s climate economy. Agriculture remains central to employment yet constrained by land degradation, limited irrigation and climate volatility. At the same time, Africa’s renewable energy and water potential remains significantly underdeveloped. Innovation across food systems, energy access and water security therefore represents both a climate imperative and a strategic growth frontier.

The PachiPanda Challenge is a flagship pan-African platform for youth-led environmental innovation. The programme goes beyond ideation, equipping entrepreneurs with funding, mentorship and governance support to build investment-ready enterprises that create jobs and measurable environmental outcomes.

“What we have seen confirms that this is far more than a competition. It is a statement of intent. It shows that Africa is not waiting to be rescued by ideas from elsewhere, but is actively generating its own solutions—solutions rooted in local realities, driven by African entrepreneurs, and designed to deliver both economic value and measurable benefits for nature and communities” Alain Ononino, WWF Cameroon Country Director.

A distinguished panel of industry experts selected the winners from a diverse group of finalists spanning clean energy, food security ecosystems, circular economy solutions and waste-to-value innovations. The standard of innovation reflected the depth of Africa’s emerging climate-tech pipeline.

Jane Mammatt, ESG, Sustainability and Climate Change Partner at Deloitte, formed part of the expert judging panel “The PachiPanda Challenge highlights the growing pipeline of African innovators who are developing practical solutions to complex environmental challenges. Through the masterclass and ongoing mentoring, our focus has been to help participants strengthen their business models, governance and investment readiness, so that these ventures are well positioned to scale and deliver meaningful environmental and social impact.”

Flame Innovation Zambia, led by Agatha Mumba Mwansa, received both the Thematic Excellence Award and the Ubuntu Award for transforming waste materials into clean-energy alternatives such as fire blocks and eco-friendly household products, reducing deforestation and fuel costs while advancing circular economy principles. The Baobab Growth Award was presented to EcoDrop Project from Uganda founded by Kanyesige Pascal, Kigozi Martin Koyamu and Nyesiga Promise, for its incentive-based recycling model that rewards communities with cash, data or airtime for responsible plastic disposal, driving behavioural change at scale.

Winners will receive MTN funding to accelerate the next phase of growth, complemented by structured post-competition mentoring from Deloitte to strengthen business models, governance and investment readiness. The programme concludes with an executive immersion hosted by Wits Business School, providing finalists with exposure to leadership perspectives, enterprise development frameworks and innovation ecosystems to support scale.

By enabling youth-driven climate innovation, MTN and its partners are not only addressing environmental risk but also strengthening local ecosystems and contributing to Africa’s transition toward a more resilient, low-carbon future.

MTN Group has announced the appointment of Shoyinka Shodunke as Executive: IT Core Design and Delivery, effective 1 March 2026.

Shoyinka brings more than 29 years of experience in technology leadership, digital transformation and innovation across Africa’s telecommunications sector. His career spans several senior roles, including Director of Technology at Vodafone Ghana, Chief Technology and Information Officer (CTIO) at MTN Cameroon, Chief Information Officer (CIO) at MTN Zambia, Chief Information Officer (CIO) at MTN South Africa and General Manager: Architecture for the MTN Shared Services Hub in Southeast Africa.

He currently serves as CIO for MTN Nigeria, where he has led large-scale digital initiatives impacting more than 80 million subscribers and overseen a technology ecosystem comprising over 350 professionals.

Shoyinka is recognised for a leadership approach anchored in adaptive intelligence, resilient system design and collaborative value creation. His work has focused on leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance human creativity, strengthen system resilience and drive innovation at scale.

In 2025, he was named MTN Group CIO of the Year for his role in advancing one of Africa’s most ambitious digital transformations, supporting MTN’s evolution from a traditional telecommunications operator into an AI-enabled technology organisation. He also received the Tech Champion in Telecoms and CIO of the Year awards at the CIO and C-Suite Awards Africa.

His academic background includes an Advanced Management Programme (AMP) at Harvard Business School, an MBA from the University of Northampton, a Postgraduate Diploma in Global Management from the University of Salford Manchester, and a Bachelor of Technology in Mathematics and Statistics from the Federal University of Technology in Nigeria.

In his new role, Shoyinka will lead the development and execution of standardised and AI-enhanced IT architectures across MTN’s footprint. His responsibilities will include integrating AI-driven automation, predictive analytics and digital transformation initiatives to improve customer experience, operational efficiency and service agility, while accelerating innovation cycles and time-to-market.

MTN Group’s digital infrastructure company, Bayobab, was one of the consortium partners recognised for its pioneering role at a celebratory event held in Cape Town last night to mark the completion of the world’s longest subsea cable infrastructure project.

The milestone marked a significant advancement in global connectivity and underscored the role that MTN, through Bayobab, plays as a digital ecosystem enabler to give Africans hope, dignity and opportunity. 

2Africa, a META-led digital infrastructure initiative, is the first subsea cable to provide a continuous link between East and West Africa while extending onward to the Middle East, South Asia and Europe. The system has taken nearly six years to build. It crosses 50 jurisdictions and required constant adjustment to shifting regulatory environments and technical conditions.

Its delivery reflects years of close collaboration, technical innovation and a shared vision among 2Africa consortium partners to connect communities, drive economic growth, and enable transformative digital experiences across Africa and beyond.

“For MTN, 2Africa isn’t just a cable but rather a statement of intent of what can be achieved when the world’s technology leaders and Africa’s own champions come together with purpose,” said Mazen Mroué CEO, MTN Group Digital Infrastructure, receiving the award on behalf of MTN and Bayobab.

“This project stands as proof that global scale and African leadership can combine to build the infrastructure that will define the next chapter of Africa’s growth story. Yes, together we’re connecting Africa to the world, but above all, we’re connecting Africa to its potential.”

2Africa delivers a step change in international bandwidth for Africa. On the West segment, from England to South Africa, the cable supports 21 Tbps per fibre pair with 8 fibre pairs on the trunk, totalling 168 Tbps. In the Mediterranean, shorter distances allow for more than 30 Tbps per fibre pair, and with 16 fibre pairs, the system can deliver over 180 Tbps in these segments.

This leap in capacity is expected to contribute up to $36.9 billion USD to Africa’s GDP within the first two to three years of operation, boosting job creation, entrepreneurship, and innovation hubs across the continent.

With landings in 33+ countries and counting, 2Africa will help enable connectivity for 3 billion people – over 30 percent of the world’s population. This scale is unprecedented, and it was only possible through the collective effort of stakeholders across the ecosystem.

Mroué said, “At MTN, we view connectivity as the foundation of Africa’s digital future. Through Bayobab, we bring world-class infrastructure capability and the reach of a network serving over 300 million subscribers across 16 African markets. Of course, the Bayobab footprint, which embeds just under 135 thousand kilometres of cable extends beyond these markets to accelerates Africa’s Digital Transformation and AI adoption.”

Building 2Africa required pushing the boundaries of subsea infrastructure. The cable is double the capacity of older systems. It incorporates undersea optical wavelength switching, enabling flexible bandwidth management and supporting evolving demands for AI-Enabled Data Centre, cloud, and high-bandwidth applications.

Advanced SDM (Spatial Division Multiplexing) technology was deployed and undersea optical wavelength switching for flexible bandwidth management incorporated. The cable burial depth was increased by 50 percent and carefully routed the cable to avoid seabed hazards like hot brine pools and the Congo Canyon turbidity currents, optimizing for both capacity and reliability.

Over 35 offshore vessels and extensive local operations were mobilised, with specialist equipment deployed to ensure safe and resilient installation across 50 jurisdictions.

2Africa’s success is rooted in partnership. The consortium led by Meta, included Bayobab, center3, CMI, Orange, Telecom Egypt, Vodafone Group, and WIOCC.

The 2Africa celebration ceremony was held at Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa in Cape Town.

Africa’s leading mobile operator MTN Group and global technology giant Microsoft are pleased to announce their plans to democratise access to artificial intelligence-powered learning and productivity tools to people across Africa.

Launched to celebrate MTN reaching the milestone of serving 300 million customers, the collaboration aims to enable more African citizens to participate meaningfully in the digital economy through Microsoft 365 with Copilot – an AI-enabled solution to support research, writing, communication and collaboration across devices.

The offering also includes Microsoft’s trusted security features, helping users stay safer online through built-in protection against phishing, data loss, and evolving cyberthreats, supported by continuous monitoring across devices.

“Africa’s growth will increasingly be shaped by how effectively its people can participate in the digital world,” said MTN Group President and CEO Ralph Mupita.

“This new strengthens that trajectory. Working together, we will open new pathways for innovation and opportunity that will define the continent’s next phase of progress.”

By combining MTN’s reach and local insight with Microsoft’s global technology expertise, the initiative reflects a shared commitment to help bridge the skills and opportunity gap and support Africa’s shift from connectivity to meaningful participation.

“Our collaboration with MTN reflects our shared goal to enable people to learn, create, and participate meaningfully in the digital economy.” said Samer Abu-Ltaif, President for Microsoft Europe, Middle East and Africa.

“By bringing Copilot to millions of MTN customers, we are helping unlock new opportunities for learning and innovation across Africa.”

MTN and Microsoft plan to start rolling out the initiative in selected MTN markets in early 2026.

This will complement MTN’s broader work to integrate artificial intelligence across its network and services, focusing on practical applications that enhance learning, accessibility and participation in the digital economy. It also reflects MTN’s ongoing commitment to developing responsible technology partnerships that support sustainable growth and shared value.

MTN in partnership with Microsoft, has completed a major modernisation of its Enterprise Value Analytics (EVA) platforming in South Africa by migrating it to Microsoft Azure. The new cloud-based EVA 3.0 platform gives MTN greater agility and intelligence in how it uses data to enhance customer experience, improve operational efficiency, and enable responsible AI deployment.

The upgraded platform, now the largest Telco cloud implementation in the Middle East and Africa, allows MTN to analyse and act on data faster and more securely. It processes around 22 billion records each day and runs more than 800 analytics workflows from over 1,700 data feeds. Built on Azure Databricks and protected by Microsoft Defender, EVA 3.0 has shown a significant improvement in processing speed compared to the previous platform.

With faster data processing and real-time analytics, the new platform gives MTN earlier visibility into service performance and customer trends, allowing teams to resolve issues faster, design more relevant offers, and ensure a consistently high-quality service experience. Customers benefit from services that are more reliable, responsive, and intelligently managed.

“Our customers expect reliability, relevance, and responsiveness in every interaction with us; understanding our vast amounts of data and extracting meaningful insights in a timely manner has always been central to how we deliver that experience,” said Nikos Angelopoulos, MTN Group Chief Information Officer.

“With EVA 3.0, we’re expanding those capabilities – analysing information more quickly, applying intelligence more effectively, and safeguarding it through advanced cloud security. Working with Microsoft, we’ve built a resilient platform that supports responsible AI and ensures we continue to meet the evolving needs of our customers.”

Beyond the implementation in MTN South Africa, the EVA 3.0 model provides a blueprint for similar data modernisation across MTN Group markets.  By leveraging Microsoft’s global cloud expertise and MTN’s deep understanding of local connectivity needs, the collaboration demonstrates how technology partnerships can expand access, drive inclusion, and strengthen Africa’s digital infrastructure.

“MTN’s adoption of Azure for its analytics backbone demonstrates what’s possible when global technology and local expertise work together,” said Alkis Flemetakis, Telco Account Director Microsoft. “This collaboration is unlocking deeper insights, strengthening data protection, and accelerating digital transformation across the continent.”

Rick Lievano, Microsoft’s Worldwide Chief Technology Officer for Telecommunications, emphasised how artificial intelligence and big data analytics are at the heart of telco transformation – enabling operators to optimise networks for efficiency and resilience, create new revenue streams beyond traditional connectivity and enhance customer experience through personalisation and predictive services.

MTN’s Azure technical capability is supported by MTN Group’s Cloud Centre of Excellence and a Group wide network of engineers that, in 2025, achieved more Microsoft Azure certifications than any other organisation in Africa. With over 1,350 certifications attained to date, this milestone reflects MTN’s sustained investment in cloud expertise, continuous skills development, and its commitment to advancing digital capability across the continent.

Building on this foundation, MTN is advancing secure, data-driven systems that are transforming how people and businesses connect. Through intelligent use of cloud and analytics, the company is improving reliability, deepening inclusion, and strengthening the foundations of Africa’s digital economy. This approach reflects MTN’s ambition to lead digital solutions for Africa’s progress and ensure that connectivity, data, and innovation create opportunity for all

UNICEF and GSMA have launched the Africa Taskforce on Child Online Protection (COP), the first of its kind, to strengthen children’s safety, rights and wellbeing in the digital world.

Launched at MWC25 Kigali, the Taskforce will serve as a multi-stakeholder platform to lead, coordinate and advance child online protection efforts across Africa, while helping to build national and regional capacity to keep children safe online.

The launch follows the GSMA’s June 2025 whitepaper, Enhancing Child Online Protection in Sub-Saharan Africa, developed in collaboration with UNICEF and regional partners. The whitepaper called for strengthened action from governments, industry, civil society, and youth to build safer digital environments for children, and directly recommended the establishment of this Taskforce as a mechanism to drive implementation.

As more children across Africa come online – at one of the fastest rates globally – they face increasing risks ranging from cyberbullying and exploitation to misinformation and exposure to harmful content. Africa’s mobile-first landscape, rapid technological change, and growing youth population present both opportunity and risk. With the continent’s unique digital landscape, the rapid evolution of Artificial Intelligence and a growing youth population, the need for a homegrown, African-led approach to child online protection has never been more urgent.

“As Africa’s children step boldly into the digital world, their safety must come first. The Africa Taskforce on Child Online Protection is a uniquely African platform to ensure technology shields children from harm while opening doors to learning, play, and growth,” said UNICEF Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa, Etleva Kadilli. “By uniting governments, partners, and young people, we can make safety the foundation of Africa’s digital future.”

The taskforce will bring together partners from across the mobile industry, technology sector, regulatory bodies, law enforcement and civil society to strengthen cooperation and drive the implementation of existing regional frameworks and policies.

Caroline Mbugua, Director of Public Policy at GSMA Africa, added: “The Taskforce marks an important step from strategy to action, turning the whitepaper’s recommendations into tangible regional progress. By working alongside UNICEF, governments, industry, and youth representatives, we aim to embed safety into Africa’s digital transformation journey and ensure children’s voices shape the policies that define their future. Together, we will strengthen digital governance, promote safety by design, and ensure that children and young people’s voices shape the policies that define Africa’s digital future. By working in partnership, we can position Africa as a global leader in child-centred digital governance.”

To date, the Africa Taskforce on Child Online Protection brings together a diverse coalition of partners, including Axian Telecom, Child Helpline International, INTERPOL, International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (ICMEC), Internet Watch Foundation, MTN Group, MtotoNews, Orange, Paramount Africa, Safaricom, Vodacom Group and Youth Representatives from Nigeria and Rwanda.

Young people who contributed to the whitepaper’s consultations – including youth advocates such as 19-year-old Jemima Kasongo – will continue to play an active role through the Taskforce, ensuring that the perspectives of Africa’s next generation remain central to this work.

The GSMA – together with Airtel, the African Population for Health Research Center (APHRC), Awarri, Axian Telecom, Cassava Technologies, Ethio Telecom, Masakhane African Languages Hub, Lelapa AI, MTN, Orange, Pawa AI, Qhala, the World Sandbox Alliance and Vodacom –  today announced a continent-wide collaboration to strengthen Africa’s AI ecosystem by developing inclusive African AI language models. The initiative aims to crowd in resources and expertise to address gaps in data, compute, talent and policy, ensuring African languages, cultures and knowledge are fully represented in the global digital future. 

Under the shared ambition “AI Language Models in Africa, By Africa, For Africa” the initiative seeks to close the region’s language gap in artificial intelligence, ensuring that Africa’s voices, cultures and knowledge are fully represented in the global digital future. The GSMA recognises existing efforts that have made great strides in addressing AI adoption in Africa, however, foundational challenges remain and is calling on ecosystem partners to join collectively to align efforts and further accelerate AI adoption in Africa.  

Today, the world’s leading LLMs are built around a handful of global languages, limiting access and relevance for billions of people whose linguistic and cultural diversity remains underrepresented online. As cited in GSMA’s AI for Africa report series, in Africa alone, more than 2,000 languages are spoken, yet only a fraction are supported in digital systems or AI models. This lack of inclusion risks widening existing digital and economic divides.  
 

By developing AI language models trained on African languages and local data, the initiative aims to empower businesses, governments, and communities to create AI applications and innovative use cases tailored to African realities – from customer service and education to healthcare, creative industries, and public service delivery. 

This initiative follows a feasibility study led by the GSMA and its regional members which confirmed that African-led language models are both technically feasible and economically viable. However, the study stressed that success requires collective leadership, investment and collaboration – not fragmented efforts. 
 
Building Africa’s Digital Future 
 
The study identified four crucial opportunities to be addressed: data, compute, talent and policy. The continent-wide collaboration will foster co-creation and mobilise leading operators, governments, researchers, technology providers, investors, and development partners to mind these gaps and accelerate development. 

To translate this ambition into action, the collaboration will establish dedicated working groups to drive measurable progress across data, compute, talent, and policy. Partners have committed to regularly showcasing outcomes and sharing learnings at upcoming GSMA events, ensuring accountability and sustained momentum toward Africa’s inclusive AI future. 
 
Call to Action 

By taking an integrated, problem-solving approach, the GSMA and its members are collaborating with Africa’s AI ecosystem to unlock opportunities across data, compute, talent, and markets. This collective effort will drive innovation and empower local industries, strengthening digital sovereignty and accelerating the scaling of AI across the continent today. Ecosystem partners – including startups, academia, creative industries, civil society, donors, and global technology players – are invited to join and contribute to this shared ambition. 

Angela Wamola, Head of Africa, GSMA said: “Africa’s diversity of languages and cultures is one of our greatest strengths, yet it has too often been overlooked in the development of global AI systems. This initiative is about turning that challenge into an opportunity – building African-led AI capacity, empowering innovation across local industries, and ensuring Africa shapes the digital future on its own terms. By working together, we can make AI more inclusive, more relevant, and more reflective of the world we live in.”  

New industry-wide initiative aims to boost digital inclusion by lowering barriers to smartphone ownership in Africa

The GSMA, in collaboration with six of Africa’s largest mobile operators – Airtel, Axian Telecom, Ethio Telecom, MTN, Orange, and Vodacom today proposed a groundbreaking baseline set of minimum requirements for an affordable entry-level 4G smartphone. The initiative, part of the GSMA Handset Affordability Coalition, is designed to accelerate digital inclusion across the continent by lowering the cost of smartphone ownership for millions who remain unconnected.

Smartphone affordability remains the single largest barrier to mobile internet adoption in Sub-Saharan Africa. According to the GSMA’s State of Mobile Internet Connectivity 2025 Report, more than 3 billion people globally live within mobile broadband coverage but do not use the internet, with affordability of handsets cited as the top challenge. GSMA Intelligence estimates that a $40 smartphone could bring mobile internet within reach for an additional 20 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa, while a $30 handset could enable up to 50 million to get connected.

The requirements propose baseline specifications for memory, RAM, camera quality, display size, battery performance and other features to ensure a viable, long-lasting 4G smartphone experience at a significantly reduced cost.

Vivek Badrinath, Director General of the GSMA, said: “Access to a smartphone is not a luxury – it is a lifeline to essential services, income opportunities and participation in the digital economy. By uniting around a shared vision for affordable 4G devices, Africa’s leading operators and the GSMA are sending a powerful signal to manufacturers and policymakers. This is an important step towards bridging the digital divide and ensuring that millions more people can reap the benefits of mobile connectivity.”

A Call to Action

In the coming months, the GSMA will engage with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and technology companies to consult on the proposed minimum requirements and gain support for affordable 4G devices. At the same time, the mobile industry is calling on governments across Africa to act swiftly to remove taxes on entry-level smartphones priced below $100. In some countries, VAT and import duties can increase device prices by more than 30%, directly raising costs for citizens and hindering digital inclusion efforts. 

Earlier this year, South Africa introduced tax reforms on entry-level smartphones – a policy the industry urges other African governments to replicate to build momentum for digital transformation.

Driving Inclusive Growth

Mobile internet connectivity underpins access to education, healthcare, financial services and e-commerce, and is linked to poverty reduction and higher wellbeing. Closing the usage gap in low- and middle-income countries between 2023 and 2030 could generate $3.5 trillion in additional GDP.

The GSMA and the Handset Affordability Coalition believe that access to affordable smartphones are the foundation of this opportunity. For more information on the work of the Handset Affordability Coalition, please visit: https://www.gsma.com/solutions-and-impact/connectivity-for-good/external-affairs/home/gsma-handset-affordability-coalition

MTN is proud to once again take part in MWC Kigali, Africa’s flagship technology gathering, taking place from 21 to 23 October 2025 at the Kigali Convention Centre, Rwanda. The event, hosted by the GSMA, brings together leaders from government, industry and technology with a shared goal: to unlock the power of digital innovation for inclusive growth across the continent.

MWC Kigali provides an important platform for Africa’s leaders, innovators and partners to engage on the continent’s digital economy, demonstrate progress, and shape the investments and innovations needed for the future. As a founding partner, MTN values the opportunity to listen, learn and exchange ideas with peers and partners. Its participation reflects a long-standing commitment to accelerating Africa’s digital transformation by building networks and platforms that deliver value today, while advancing new technologies that will shape tomorrow.

Advancing Africa’s digital agenda

MTN’s participation at MWC Kigali 2025 will be headlined by Ralph Mupita, who will feature in Keynote 1: Africa’s Future First – Determining the Path to a Digital Future. The keynote will explore Africa’s position at a pivotal point in its digital evolution, with unique mobile subscribers projected to exceed 700 million by 2030. It will consider the opportunities and challenges shaping this next phase of growth, from the usage gap that persists even as broadband coverage expands to the rise of new technologies such as 5G, fintech and generative AI.

In addition to the keynote, MTN’s leadership will participate in high-level panels and roundtables discussing Africa’s digital trajectory, sharing their perspectives on infrastructure investment, FinTech, AI adoption, online safety, and the continent’s connected future.

Immersive stand experience

MTN’s stand at MWC Kigali 2025 will offer visitors an immersive experience that unifies the company’s platform ecosystem with live demonstrations, showing how advanced networks translate into real value and open up new possibilities for Africa’s digital future.

At the centre of the experience are MTN’s platforms MoMo, Bayobab and Chenosis, showcased to illustrate how they enable financial inclusion, connect communities, strengthen continental infrastructure and empower developers. The stand will also feature the MTN Skills Academy, a programme designed to equip young people with digital and entrepreneurial capabilities. To date, the platform has attracted more than 228,000 subscribers, with learners completing over 97,000 learning activities, including courses and career guidance surveys. This reflects MTN’s commitment to building Africa’s digital talent base and creating pathways to employment and innovation.

Alongside this, in collaboration with Ericsson, MTN will present demonstrations of 5G-enabled applications that highlight the power of real-time, reliable connectivity. HADO, an augmented reality game showcased in Africa for the first time, will demonstrate how low latency can support interactive learning, remote clinical support and skills training, alongside entertainment. A 5G-enabled robotic dog will demonstrate how connected technologies can enhance safety and efficiency in inspection and monitoring across various industries, including mining, utilities, and energy. The Ray-Ban Display smart glasses with neural gesture control will point to future possibilities in accessibility, workforce productivity and interaction with digital services.

Together, these showcases highlight what real-time, reliable connectivity can unlock for Africa. They point to broader access to essential services, safer and more efficient industry operations, and productivity gains across education, health, agriculture, energy and manufacturing, underscoring the continent’s potential for inclusive digital growth.

We look forward to engaging with visitors, partners and media at MWC Kigali 2025. Join us at our stand to experience the demonstrations first-hand, or contact the press office to arrange interviews and briefings.

As part of our commitment to connecting communities across Africa, MTN Group hosted leaders of Africa’s diplomatic and public sector at its annual Ambassadors Appreciation Dinner on Wednesday, where we were delighted to announce that we had reached our Ambition 2025 strategic target of serving 300 million customers.

The gathering brought together diplomats and senior officials; the CEOs from across MTN’s markets; and members of the MTN Group Executive Committee to strengthen collaboration, investment and policy alignment in support of the continent’s digital transformation.

“The time is now for Africa to take charge of its own socioeconomic progress. We need to look within for solutions and to develop our own communities,” said MTN Group President and CEO Ralph Mupita, referencing global geopolitical uncertainty which had curtailed the foreign aid on which large parts of our continent had typically depended.

Mupita drew encouragement from MTNers and their communities who weren’t deterred by the challenges they face, choosing rather to roll up their sleeves in the annual 21 Days of Y’ello Care campaign and work together to extend digital and financial inclusion, particularly in rural, remote and underserved areas.

“Tonight, we celebrate our Y’ello Care employee volunteers and take inspiration from their can-do attitude. We also celebrate their dedication which has led to the Group meeting a strategic milestone by serving more than 300 million customers a mere three decades since the start of our first commercial operation in South Africa.”

MTN Group Chief Sustainability and Corporate Affairs Officer Nompilo Morafo said the 2025 Y’ello Care campaign – themed “Connecting at the Roots: Connecting communities through the use of digital tools” – illustrated how collaboration and innovation translate into progress across communities.

Through initiatives developed by employees and local partners, it demonstrated how digital tools are expanding opportunity and improving everyday life across Africa.

“Y’ello Care embodies our belief that everyone deserves the benefits of a modern connected life, while reminding us that progress is ultimately built through people – our ideas, commitment and compassion,” she said. “I am grateful to MTNers, partners and community collaborators who continue to bring this belief to life.”

• MTN Eswatini received top honours for its Government in Your Hand initiative, which integrates MoMo to deliver essential public services and build digital literacy, advancing national e-governance and inclusion.
• MTN Cameroon earned the WECA Region Award for its community-driven digital centres that empower citizens to co-create local solutions, strengthening participation and innovation at the grassroots.
• MTN Uganda won the SEA Region Award for expanding digital inclusion through computer labs, solar-powered health centres, and vocational training, equipping communities with digital skills, connectivity, and access to essential services.
• MoMo, the winner of the inaugural Platform Business Award, was recognised for driving financial inclusion through digital training, entrepreneurship support, and technology-enabled healthcare access.
• MTN Nigeria received a Special Mention Award for the scale and innovation of its Y’ello Boxes and MoMo Market Storm initiatives, which deepen digital and financial inclusion for women, traders, and small business owners.

Additional recognition went to operations across MTN’s markets for projects exemplifying MTN’s values. Connecting purpose with action, MTNers help build societies that are more inclusive, more resilient and more hopeful.

Mupita thanked the diplomatic community for its continued partnership and for supporting an enabling environment that fosters sustainable investment and innovation.

He noted that this spirit of collaboration remains vital as Africa advances toward the goals of Agenda 2063, reaffirming that the journey is ambitious but achievable, grounded in partnership and guided by a vision of an inclusive digital future.