MTN Foundation clocks 10 years, spends N11b on CSR

With its pioneering status as the first Foundation to be established by a Nigerian telecommunication company, MTN Foundation, the Corporate Social Responsibility vehicle of leading ICT Company, MTN Nigeria, is celebrating a decade of touching lives through its hugely impactful social investments in education, health, and economic empowerment.

Founded on May 11, 2005, the Foundation is funded by up to one percent profit after tax (PAT) from MTN Nigeria and has become the leading driver of social investments through the expenditure of over N11 billion naira in 341 project sites across the six geopolitical zones of the country.

Chairman, MTN Foundation, Ambassador Hamzat Ahmadu, noted that the successes which have been recorded in the last 10 years are based on the Foundation’s ability to leverage on the power of local and international partners who are able to bring relevant knowledge and experience to the table, to create and execute sustainable projects across the country.

“The giant strides made by the Foundation and the remarkable transformation of lives seen through the gains of our various initiatives in the area of health, education and economic empowerment are an eloquent testimony of how well we have been able to demonstrate our commitment to enriching lives and adding value to the lives of the citizenry,” Ambassador Ahmadu said.

On his own part, Corporate Services Executive of MTN and Director of the Foundation, Wale Goodluck, expressed delight at the giant strides made in the past decade adding that corporate social responsibility is at the core of MTN’s organizational philosophy. “We are excited that our mission to improve the quality of life in communities all over the country has yielded great dividends as evidenced by the positive impact our initiatives have had in helping to reduce poverty as well as foster sustainable development in Nigeria,” Goodluck added.

He pledged that the Foundation will not relent in its efforts. The Foundation, said Goodluck, will continue to seek creative ways to support and add value to lives in many more communities .
MTNF educational initiatives have seen it provide digital libraries and ICT laboratories to universities and secondary schools, respectively, across the country while empowering others with scholarships in music and science and technology.

Under its healthcare portfolio, it has provided mammography and dialysis machines to public hospitals across the country as well as its trailblazing eyesight restoration intervention where a lot of persons have benefited from free cataract surgeries, eye glasses and drug packs. Under its economic empowerment portfolio, MTNF has carried out and supported a wide range of activities designed to enable job provision, skills acquisition among other various stakeholder groups such as the disabled, widows and visually impaired students.

In recognition of its positive contributions, MTNF has received numerous awards, including the 3rd CSR Nigeria Industry Award: Innovative Partnership Award for Outstanding Work in Corporate Social Responsibility and Creating “Shared Value”; Advertising Association of Nigeria (ADVAN) Awards: Best Corporate Social Responsibility Company and Sickle Cell Foundation of Nigeria: Special Appreciation Award in recognition of MTNF work and Support for Sickle Cell Foundation of Nigeria among many others.