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Building on the success of an initiative in Zambia to encourage young people to come up with ideas to address unsustainable environmental practices, MTN Group and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) today announced the Africa PachiPanda Challenge. This extends the organisations’ joint initiative to four more countries on the continent.

On the sidelines of COP28, MTN Group Chief Sustainability and Corporate Affairs Officer Nompilo Morafo met with the Zambia Minister of Green Economy and Environment Collins Nzovu who said the local initiative had been a great success and included some first-of-a-kind projects in Zambia: “The Challenge has been a significant milestone in driving tangible solutions to address sustainable and lasting climate solutions in Zambia. The type of initiatives – such as waste-to-electricity plants – which have emerged from the Challenge has been noteworthy. We now need to focus on scaling the programme and ensuring we support these businesses in a meaningful way.”

To attract new ideas to address challenges, increase conservation awareness and create a more sustainable Zambia, MTN Zambia and WWF Zambia launched the PachiPanda Challenge in 2022 and held it again this year. Attracting more than 1 500 applicants, the events invited young Zambians and SMEs to submit their solutions to a number of ‘challenge statements’. These included:

“We are proud to have birthed an innovative Initiative out of Zambia that evidently supports Youth-led small Businesses in the Climate Space that creates green jobs in a green economy.” MTN Zambia Foundation Chairperson, Rose Sibisi.

“Through the Zambia PachiPanda Challenge, which is now transitioning into an African challenge, we believe that sustainable innovations key to addressing the pressing environmental issues facing our continent will be developed,” said Nachilala Nkombo, Country Director, WWF Zambia.

The Challenge will now expand to include four more countries – Cameroon, Nigeria, South Africa and Uganda – and will be open to applications from young people (aged 16-35) and youth-led SMEs with early-stage or idea-stage solutions to the environmental challenges presented.

“The Zambia PachiPanda Challenge, run by MTN Zambia Foundation and WWF Zambia, was an absolute success in the first two years, and we believe the initiative brought about meaningful and sustainable projects that have the potential to transform disadvantaged communities for the better,” said Evelyn Mwamubiru-Mwaura, Country Offices Project Quality Director, WWF Africa.

Morafo echoed these sentiments, saying: “MTN Group and WWF are committed to fostering innovation and sustainability in Africa and leveraging technology to achieve that. This challenge is an opportunity for African innovators to contribute to their communities and the wider continent, creating solutions that address environmental and social issues.”

The Africa PachiPanda Challenge, which is set to be launched in 2024, is more than a competition; it is a platform for change. It aims to inspire participants to think beyond conventional boundaries, develop solutions that address immediate challenges, and contribute to the long-term sustainability of their communities.

Leveraging innovative technology and strategic partnerships to combat gender-based violence (GBV), MTN Group today announces our participation in the global “UNiTE! Invest to Prevent Violence against Women & Girls” campaign. Our involvement underscores our commitment to creating safer, more equitable environments for women and girls.

UNiTE! is a 16-day campaign of activism against the scourge of GBV which affects around 736 million women worldwide. The campaign focuses on breaking the barriers of silence and stigma that often surround GBV, empowering women to stand strong and speak out.

According to the World Health Organization, in sub-Saharan Africa a third of women have experienced physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner. This surpasses the global average of 20%. Shockingly, one in five women (20%) in the region has experienced violence in the past year, compared to 13% globally.

“The staggering number of women affected by gender-based violence globally requires more than just awareness – it demands action,” says MTN Group Chief Sustainability and Corporate Affairs Officer Nompilo Morafo.

“GBV is a crisis that transcends borders and cultures. As Africa’s leading communications company, we are uniquely positioned to use our resources and reach to make a tangible difference. Leveraging the power of technology as a social catalyst, we, together with all those involved in the UNiTE! campaign, contribute to making our communities safer.“

MTN urges everyone to participate during the 16 Days of Activism against GBV campaign, amplifying the voices of survivors and activists, supporting women’s organisations, and strengthening feminist movements towards a common goal.

The collective call to action is to empower survivors, reduce and prevent violence against women and girls, and protect women’s rights, while simultaneously educating male allies and providing resources that can lead to further harm reduction. The time for silence is over; it is time to ACT, to EMPOWER, and be the CHANGE!

Every year the United Nations marks 16 Days of Activism against GBV. The campaign runs from 25 November to 10 December and acts to shed light on the urgent need for collective action to combat GBV globally.

MTN Group’s website provides a wealth of information on GBV, including tools and resources and emergency contacts across numerous markets.

For more information, please visit https://www.mtn.com/16-days-of-activism/.

MTN is honoured to have received The Africa-America Institute’s 2023 Corporate Responsibility Award, which recognises corporations that have made significant contributions to Africa’s progress and demonstrated a commitment to sustainable and inclusive growth, positively impacting communities and industries.

The accolade was presented at AAI’s 70th Anniversary Gala event in New York on Tuesday evening.

“As Africa’s largest mobile network operator, MTN has contributed to a revolution in the way Africans communicate with each other and the world – bridging the digital divide, catalysing economic growth, and raising living standards across the continent,” said AAI President and CEO Kofi Appenteng.

“MTN has been fundamental in supporting collaboration and the continent’s ability to share its achievements and history, something that is at the core of AAI’s mission. MTN’s work and that of its foundations is an inspiration. The company’s commitment to inclusive connectivity, gender equality, accelerating financial inclusion, and empowering employees and communities deserves recognition,” he added.

MTN Group President and CEO Ralph Mupita accepted the award on behalf of MTN’s more than 17 000 employees across 19 markets: “We are humbled by this recognition. We are also inspired and encouraged to continue to drive digital and financial inclusion and create shared value. We believe this work gives Africans dignity, hope, and opportunity.”

Latest data from the GSMA and Broadband Commission shows that for every 10% increase in internet use, GDP grows by an additional 1.5%. However, a third of the world’s population does not use the internet at all.

“These people are still not digitally connected and could well end up as a digital underclass,” said Mupita, adding that priority must be given to investments in digital infrastructure and services to avoid even more inequality. “We must ensure that as technologies such as AI develop, we also get large language models trained on African languages. Initiatives such as conversational payments that are taking root in places like India must come rapidly to Africa.”

MTN Group’s Chief Sustainability and Corporate Affairs Officer Nompilo Morafo said the AAI recognition was both a validation and an inspiration for MTN’s commitment to responsible business practices and sustainable growth. “Our business has always been about more than connectivity; it’s about empowering communities, driving inclusion, championing diversity, and ensuring that our operations leave a positive, lasting impact.”

The AAI’s Annual Awards Gala, held during the United Nations General Assembly, is a marquee event celebrating the accomplishments of Africa and its global diaspora. The gathering attracts a diverse audience, including heads of state, diplomats, international officials, philanthropists and business leaders.

“As we celebrate this esteemed recognition, we are reminded that our work is far from complete,” said Morafo. “This award fuels our resolve to intensify our efforts. Working together, with our partners, communities, governments, and other stakeholders, we will continue to champion initiatives that drive Africa’s digital transformation and socio-economic betterment,” she added.

To focus MTN’s CSI efforts and maximise their impact, MTN launched our first foundation in 2001 in South Africa. Since then, we have rolled out another 12 foundations across 18 markets and impacted the lives of more than 40 million people in the last four years alone. We focus on strategically building an ICT ecosystem to deliver greater inclusion to the most vulnerable, with a special focus on enabling digital skills for digital jobs to address job creation, enhance competitiveness, and drive inclusive growth for the communities we serve.

In the first half of 2023, MTN Group delivered resilient results, advanced our strategy by partnering with Mastercard on the MTN fintech business, and progressed plans to exit Afghanistan. This was achieved in a difficult operating environment marked by elevated inflation, weaker local currencies and regulatory developments across our 19 markets.

“We delivered a resilient performance in H1 23 and made good strategic progress against a tough macro backdrop,” said MTN Group President and CEO Ralph Mupita.

“In South Africa, we were very encouraged by the improved network availability on the back of our power-resilience investment, resulting in a stronger Q2 23 performance than Q1 23,” he said. By end-June, MTN South Africa’s network availability was more than 90% despite severe electricity shortages across the country.

“In Nigeria, we delivered a very strong operational result, having navigated the cash shortages in Q1 23 and increased inflation,” Mupita said. “The policy changes implemented in Nigeria in Q2 23 have short-term negative impacts, but we see these as being very constructive for the investment climate in the medium to longer term.”

MTN Group’s service revenue grew 15% to almost R108 billion in constant-currency terms. This was driven by increases in revenue from data services of 24% and from fintech services of 22%. Revenue from voice services increased 6% in the period. 

At the end of June 2023, we had 292 million subscribers with whom we worked to create shared value. This subscriber base – 4% higher than the same period last year – benefited from lower data rates and improved access to broadband services.

To facilitate the digital economy, we increased the number of active data users by more than 7% to nearly 140 million; reported a 19% increase in overall data traffic; and improved data affordability by reducing the average effective rate per megabyte by more than 22%.

We continued to invest in world-class networks and platforms for the people of Africa, committing R17.2 billion in capital expenditure in the first six months of 2023. The Group’s balance sheet remained strong, with all key metrics well within the limits of our loan covenants.

Driven by solid revenue growth and improved efficiencies, adjusted headline earnings per share (HEPS) increased by 25% to 749 cents and adjusted return on equity (ROE) expanded by one percentage point to 24.4%. These were in line with our medium-term guidance.

The MTN Group Fintech business delivered on our rapid expansion plans. The volume of transactions increased by 37% to 8.3 billion in the first half of the year. These were executed by 61 million active MoMo customers.

Following the bespoke process to identify and potentially introduce strategic minority investors into MTN Group Fintech, we executed commercial agreements with Mastercard to support the acceleration and growth of our fintech business’s payments and remittance services.

MTN and Mastercard also signed a memorandum of understanding which provides for a minority investment by Mastercard into Group Fintech based on a total enterprise valuation of about US$5.2 billion for the business on a cash and debt-free basis. Signing of the definitive investment agreements is expected to occur in the very near term as we approach finalisation of customary due diligence. The closing of the investment will be subject to customary closing conditions.

We continued to work to simplify our portfolio. The process for MTN Group to exit Afghanistan in an orderly fashion through the sale of our entire shareholding to Investcom AF, and affiliate company of M1, remains well on track. The transaction received conditional regulatory approval to proceed, pending the submission of relevant documentation to the Afghanistan Regulatory Authority.

Looking ahead, MTN will keep working to create shared value across our markets. “We are focused on the continued execution of our Ambition 2025, which remains relevant in the current macroeconomic volatility and presents attractive scope for growth,” said Mupita.

“As we manage the challenges in our operating environment, as well as the near-term impacts on our top-line and margins, we maintain our medium-term guidance.” 

MTN Group is pleased to announce that we have joined the Global Network Initiative (GNI), signalling our commitment to strengthen and innovate our digital human rights efforts.

The GNI is a multi-stakeholder organisation whose mission is to protect and advance freedom of expression, privacy, and other key digital human rights by setting a global standard for responsible decision-making for companies across the information and telecommunications sector.

“Our commitment to digital human rights is an integral part of our business strategy and sustainability framework and is embedded in the highest levels of our governance structures. This membership is one example of our commitment to continuously evolve and innovate our approach in addressing human rights risk and the way we conduct our business,” says MTN Group Chief Sustainability and Corporate Affairs Officer Nompilo Morafo.

“We believe that digital and financial inclusion cannot be achieved without deliberate efforts to respect the rights of all. MTN’s GNI membership allows us to explore new ways of safeguarding the rights of our customers and other stakeholders using the power of collective learning and collaboration with multiple stakeholders,” she adds.

GNI members commit to implementing the GNI Principles, which are based on internationally recognised laws and standards for human rights, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

The GNI Principles, along with the GNI and Implementation Guidelines, provide a framework for responsible company decision-making in support of freedom of expression and privacy rights.

“GNI and its 90 members will greatly benefit from MTN’s perspective, and we are particularly pleased to be continuing to expand into new geographies. We look forward to working with MTN to help protect the human rights of its customers and stakeholders,” said GNI Executive Director Jason Pielemeier.

The GNI regularly facilitates opportunities for members to contribute to shared learning and provides a forum for collective advocacy with governments and other key stakeholders in support of laws and policies that promote and protect freedom of expression and privacy.

MTN’s digital human rights framework adopts a pragmatic approach to systematically entrench digital human rights across the Group. Implementing the GNI Principles on Freedom of Expression and Privacy will further strengthen our approach.

MTN Group has joined forces with the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) Meta, ICMEC (the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children) and Child Helpline International, with the support of the United Nations office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), to launch the Help Children be Children campaign and the Child Safety Online Africa Portal to increase public awareness of the impact of Child Sexual Abuse Material and help prevent its spread in target countries on the African continent.

From 2019 to 2020, the number of reports received by the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) of child sexual abuse images and videos uploaded from the African continent grew by a staggering 81% to almost 2,4 million.

This new campaign is aimed at raising awareness of the gradual increase of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) and how it can be reported by the public in target countries. Additionally, the campaign will help train law enforcement and child helplines in target countries, positively engage policymakers and stakeholders through roundtables, to join the global fight against CSAM.

Nompilo Morafo, Chief Sustainability and Corporate Affairs Officer said, “Protecting children online is a global challenge, which requires a global approach. As we lead digital solutions for Africa’s progress, we have a critical role in ensuring that every African child is kept safe online. In alignment with our African values, we need to join forces to create a safe online village for our children. One where they are free from fear, humiliation, and abuse. One where they can have a normal childhood.”

MTN funded the development of the Child Safety Online Africa Portal and awareness campaign in partnership with the IWF. The portal is aimed at eradicating the spread of child sexual abuse online and provides internet users with a tool to report any record of child sexual abuse material available online across the continent. 

Emma Hardy Communications Director at the IWF said “We have successfully launched 49 portals all around the world, including 23 in Africa, providing a tool to report illegal imagery to millions. Through the portals, the IWF and its partners such as MTN are working with governments, law enforcement units and other organisations to enable every single person to report child sexual abuse material online.”

Images and videos of child sexual abuse show real children who have been victims of some of the worst forms of abuse. By reporting child sexual abuse material online through the portal, photos and videos will be assessed by IWF’s experienced analysts and removed from the internet if confirmed to be child sexual abuse in nature.

David Miles, Head of Safety at Meta for Europe, Middle East and Africa said: “For more than a decade, we’ve been an industry leader in child safety around the world. We’ve helped build the tools used to investigate this terrible crime, rescue children and bring justice to victims. While we invest heavily in industry-leading tools to prevent such abuse from happening in the first place, it’s also important we spread awareness through campaigns and partnerships like this one so no child should ever have to face this abuse, whether offline or online.”

Bob Cunningham, President & CEO of the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children, said, “The prevalence of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) is a growing threat in Africa and around the world. Every time abusive images are viewed or shared, children are revictimised. Therefore, it is essential that CSAM is reported, and local authorities have the tools and capacities to protect child victims. This awareness campaign is a crucial step to reaching parents, caregivers, and communities to help prevent future abuse before it happens.”

Patrick Krens, Executive Director at Child Helpline International said: “If we want to be more effective and efficient in our combat against online sexual exploitation and abuse of children and young people we must invest more time, money and human resources in the 3Ps of Prevention, Protection and Prosecution. For all three areas it is important to listen to what children have to say to us and each other. Every child has a voice, and we believe that no child should be left unheard.”  

Carmen Corbin, Advisor for the United Nations office on Drugs and Crime, Global Programme on Cybercrime in Africa said “Building strong capacities in the national criminal justice sectors in Africa to investigate and prosecute online child exploitation is one of our programme’s priorities. But we are also aware that public awareness and prevention campaigns are the first line of defence that will make communities, families, and children able to avoid and report child sexual abuse material online. We want a safer Internet for all children, a place where they can learn, play and develop their talents without being threatened by predators”.

While 23 countries in Africa have already stepped up and developed their own portal or hotline, the Child Safety Online Africa Portal will be accessible in countries where there is not yet a reporting mechanism to ensure even more countries on the continent are able to report child sexual abuse material.

To help children be children today, for tomorrow, report child sexual abuse material through this portal: africachildsafety.com

Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC) has joined MTN in pledging to commit to a Road to Zero strategy and committing to realising a Net Zero carbon emission future by 2040.  MTN has called on partners including Ericsson to work together to setting science-based targets to reach  a Net Zero future together.

A key aspect of MTN Group’s Ambition 2025 strategy is to create shared value in a sustainable manner through responsible Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) practices. By leveraging Ericsson’s latest and most advanced sustainable technologies, MTN will be in a better position to realize its energy use and carbon management efforts in line with its commitment to reach Net Zero emissions by 2040.

Climate action is imperative to secure future socio-economic development in Africa., This initiative will see MTN and Ericsson work together to support economic growth and development in an environmentally responsible way. Through the pledge, Ericsson and MTN will also support several UN Sustainable Development Goals and play an important role in helping realize the 1.5-degree global warming goal set by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Nicolas Blixell, Vice President, and Head of Global Customer Unit at Ericsson Middle East and Africa says: “At Ericsson, we strive for collaboration in everything we do. Understanding that we cannot achieve a Net Zero world alone, we endeavor to form strategic partnerships across sectors, industries, and markets.  By signing this pledge with MTN and collaborating to provision our advanced sustainable cellular technologies, we are demonstrating our commitment towards forming partnerships where limitless connectivity improves lives, redefines business and pioneers a sustainable future.”

Nompilo Morafo, MTN Group Chief Sustainability & Corporate Affairs Officer said: “It’s about doing for tomorrow, today – realizing a Net Zero future is critical to our commitments towards sustainability, and we know that we can only realise our ambition through collaboration with our partners. With Ericsson joining our pledge, we hope to inspire our other partners, the telecommunications industry and other stakeholders to take meaningful steps towards decarbonization.”

The shift towards sustainability requires examining how we use resources. Currently, only 8.6 per cent of the material we use forms part of the circular economy. This means less than 10 per cent of the material used in the world in a year is recycled or reused in some way. Ericsson has also pledged to contribute towards MTN’s circular economy, which is an imperative part of the Road to Zero pledge aimed at driving Reducing, Reusing and Recycling of equipment.

Being a sustainability pioneer in the telecom industry for many decades, Ericsson has continually focused efforts on enhancing the circular economy and realising climate action goals. As a member of the 1.5°C Supply Chain Leaders initiative, Ericsson is also driving exponential climate action across global supply chains, supporting net-zero goals and the pledge. Through its commitment to science-based climate goals spanning several operations across its value chain, reducing impact in its own operations and products in use, and in its continued investment in the circular economy through initiatives such as the product take-back and e-waste management programs, Ericsson remains determined to help the telecom sector leave a lighter environmental footprint on the planet.

MTN Group’s Procurement company, Global Sourcing and Supply Chain (GSSC) received the ‘Best Use of Digital Technology’ award at the CIPS Middle East Excellence in Procurement 2022 Awards. The conference is the largest procurement gathering in the region, bringing together the industry’s most influential individuals.

Global Sourcing and Supply Chain (GSSC)

The award recognises procurement and supply chain teams and showcases successful technology projects that have made a significant business impact in the industry. To this end, the award demonstrates how MTN GSSC is embracing of digital transformation in line with its vision to build a data-driven predictive procurement ecosystem.

MTN Group Chief Financial Officer, Tsholo Molefe commented, “This award is testament to the continued delivery of the key aspects of our Ambition 2025 strategy which at its core is about how we will drive the business forward to take advantage of the digital acceleration trends. The introduction of innovation and digital transformation practices within our procurement processes, ensure that as a Group, we continue to identify and implement processes that are enabled and driven by technological advances. A huge congratulations to the whole team on this achievement”.

MTN Group Executive for Procurement & Supply Chain Management, Dirk Karl who accepted the award commented, “It is a great pleasure to receive the prestigious CIPS award and to be recognised for our continuous efforts and achievements as well as our focus on utilising cutting-edge technologies and data management in both strategic and operational procurement. From telco to techco, that has been our ambition from the outset. We are not simply surviving the disruptive changes in the industry but changing our organisations DNA.”

Commenting on the gathering of the CIPS Middle East Excellence in Procurement Conference, Karl added, “It was great to discuss the latest and greatest advances in procurement and technology with other attendees. Our doors are always open for collaboration with other organisations who want to tap into the future of procurement and benefit from the innovative ideas we are developing.”

With the new year still fresh, MTN GSSC has many more astounding advanced analytics developments on their 2022 Roadmap.

An MTN Group delegation led by President and Chief Executive Officer Ralph Mupita has concluded a visit to the WECA region, where meetings were held with key stakeholders in Cameroon, Benin and Ghana.

The visit is in line with MTN’s commitment to open and regular dialogue with local authorities in our markets as well as our work to create shared value and engage on developments related to digital and financial inclusion. Among other members of the delegation were MTN Group Senior Vice President Markets Ebenezer Asante and Group Chief Fintech Officer Serigne Dioum.

During the visit, the MTN leadership noted the role that the Group updated stakeholders on the role MTN is playing in the development of the digital economy, regulatory developments as well as discussion on nation-state strategies for socio-economic developments in the respective markets.

The visit kicked off in Cameroon, where the Group President and CEO held meetings with several material stakeholders, including the Prime Minister, the Minister of State, the Secretary General of the Presidency of the Republic, and the Head of the Regulatory Board.

He congratulated the Government of Cameroon for hosting AFCON 2021: “AFCON 2021 successfully showcased the football talent of Africa, and demonstrates the importance of football as a unifying force across the continent. MTN has been increasing its involvement in football, with new sponsorships in Nigeria and Cameroon in recent times.”

Mupita was happy to see the good progress made on key regulatory matters in Cameroon, and expressed gratitude to the country’s authorities for their support.

In Benin, Mupita met the Minister of Economy and Finance, Senior Minister of State, and the President of the Regulatory Board ARCEP and his cabinet. He congratulated the government on the country’s economic growth as well as Benin’s progress in securing the return of historic cultural artefacts.

MTN is invested in promoting Benin and showcasing its rich culture through the campaign, #LeBéninQueJ’aime. At the Ministry of Health, Mupita announced MTN’s financing of a shipment of COVID-19 vaccines to Benin.

Mupita spoke about the Government Action Programme (PAG) particularly as it relates to the enhanced efforts towards access, and digital and financial inclusion, which aligns with MTN’s belief that everyone deserves the benefits of a modern connected life.

On the last leg of his tour, Mupita engaged with key stakeholders in Ghana. These included meetings with the Minister of Communications and Digitalisation and the Board Chairman and Director General of the NCA to reiterate MTN’s support for the further development of the Ghanaian telecommunications sector and Ghana’s broader digital economy plan.

The leadership of the MTN Group kickstarted the year with our two-day annual virtual Global Leadership Gathering. The gathering provides an opportunity for us to reflect on the progress we have made to deliver on our ambitions, to recalibrate where necessary, and renew our commitment to lead digital solutions for Africa’s progress.

A future-fit business thrives when it can efficiently run world-class operations, adapt, and transform with the changing times, and constantly reinvent itself to remain relevant and sustainable. MTN has a tremendous responsibility to drive digital and financial inclusion in the communities we operate in. We have challenged ourselves to be bold and seize the opportunity to transform Africa’s future.

MTN Group President and CEO, Ralph Mupita, said: “MTN has a vision of providing leading digital solutions to support Africa’s progress, and we took very meaningful steps in realising this vision. The work we are doing is important for the progress of the communities we live and operate in. If Africa is to economically ‘leap-frog’, while delivering the benefits of a modern connected life to its people, MTN would have played a significant role in that progress.”

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2021 achievements

It is important to highlight a few things as we reflect on the accolades received and the many accomplishments achieved in the previous year.

MTN started 2021 by stepping forward as the first private sector company to work with the African Union and contribute to securing much-needed vaccines for the African continent.

We have been recognised as one of the best companies to work for globally, following inclusion in the 2021 Forbes list of World’s Best Employers, while Fortune honoured the Group in its list of companies Changing the World. 

The work we are doing around reducing our carbon emissions, driving financial inclusion, reducing the cost to communicate, improving diversity in the workplace and digital human rights has been acknowledged by international ratings agencies such as the FTSE and Sustainalytics.

We have retained our Net Promoter Score leadership positions in 15 markets, which is a clear indicator of success and how we serve our customers. To add to this, our share price has soared, up 184% when measured from the start to end of the year.

Progress on Ambition 2025

Our Ambition 2025 Strategy is focused on driving growth through building the largest and most valuable platform business with a clear focus on Africa. To this extent, we are reinventing ourselves for a sustainable future to the benefit of our customers.

According to Mupita: “The contribution of MTNers in the progress the company made, was achieved through a most challenging time, and I know you all dug deep and tapped into individual and collective reservoirs of strength, grit, and determination.”

“Our vital behaviours, values and culture provided us with a firm foundation of service, excellence and high-performance. We are well on the way to deliver on our strategic intents, as defined by our Ambition 2025 Strategy and the commitments we have made to our stakeholders.” 

The successful execution of our Ambition 2025 Strategy will be defined by the operating structure and leadership team driving that strategy.

Operating structure and leadership changes

To ensure the Group is structured in a manner that drives delivery, we announced a new leadership structure and team in December 2021. In line with Ambition 2025’s strategic priorities, the Group has welcomed the following individuals to the ExCo team:

Several changes were introduced to MTN’s operating structure and existing ExCo members have taken on new roles with expanded responsibilities. A Markets cluster was created, combining West and Central Africa (WECA), South and East Africa (SEA) and Middle East and North Africa (MENA) under one leadership. Ebenezer Asante is assuming the new role of Senior Vice President (SVP) of Markets and part of his focus will be to ensure seamless execution of the structural separation of the fintech and infraco assets within the Markets portfolio.

A decision was made to separate digital from the fintech priorities to enhance the capacity to accelerate the growth of MTN’s fintech and other platforms. In order to remain the leader in delivering financial inclusion in Africa, we need focus, agility, and pace in fintech. With the simplified structure under the leadership of Serigne Dioum as Group Chief Fintech Officer, we are set to drive the business forward at a faster pace.

MTN Group COO Jens Schulte-Bockum will drive an acceleration of digital, infraco, enterprise services, network as a service and Chenosis platforms.  Jens and Serigne will work together closely to ensure strategic coherence and execution of both fintech and Africa’s SuperApp, ayoba.

These appointments illustrate our diversity of nationalities and bench strength of a team that is highly experienced and well-positioned to take the business forward as we deliver on our ambitions for growth and delivering value. The newly appointed Executive Committee leading MTN on this journey officially started in their roles on 1 February 2022.

We would also like to take this opportunity to thank Felleng and Godfrey who have made significant contributions to the Group Exco, and the progress we have seen in MTN over the last 5 years. We wish them well in their respective futures.

The full Executive Committee and their profiles can be seen at https://www.mtn.com/who-we-are/leadership/executive-committee/