MTN Foundation spends N11bn on CSR in 10 years

Wale Goodluck, Corporate Services Executive, MTN Nigeria

The Chairman of MTN Foundation (MTNF), Mr Hamzat Ahmadu, on Monday said that the foundation had spent over N11 billion on 341 project sites in 10 years.

This was contained in a statement in Lagos obtained by NAN, as the foundation marked a decade of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities.

The statement said that the successes that had been recorded in the last 10 years were based on the foundation’s ability to leverage on the power of local and international partners.

According to the statement, the partners are able to bring relevant knowledge and experience to the table, to create and execute sustainable projects across the country.

“With its pioneering status as the first foundation established by a Nigerian telecommunication company, MTN Foundation, the CSR vehicle of a leading ICT company, is celebrating a decade of touching lives.

“The foundation has been 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 per cent Profit-After-Tax from MTN Nigeria.

“It has become the leading driver of social investments through the expenditure of over N11 billion in 341 project sites across the six geopolitical zones of the country,” it said.

“The strides in the area of health, education and economic empowerment are eloquent testimonies of how well we have been able to demonstrate our commitment to enriching and adding value to lives.”

Mr Wale Goodluck, the Corporate Services Executive of MTN Nigeria, expressed delight at the giant strides made in the past decade.

Goodluck, who is also a Director of MTNF, said that corporate social responsibility was at the core of MTN’s organisational philosophy.

He said that the foundation would not relent in its efforts to continue to seek creative ways to support and add value to lives in many more communities.

“We are excited that our mission to improve the quality of life in communities all over the country have yielded great dividends.

“This is evidenced by the positive impact our initiatives have had in helping to reduce poverty, as well as foster sustainable development in Nigeria,” Goodluck said.

He said that through its educational initiatives, MTNF had provided digital libraries and ICT laboratories to universities and secondary schools, respectively, in the country.

According to him, the educational initiatives also empower others with scholarships in music and science and technology.

NAN reports that under its healthcare portfolio, MTNF has provided mammography and dialysis machines to public hospitals across the country.

It also engages in 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”.

It also received the Advertising Association of Nigeria (ADVAN) Awards’ Best Corporate Social Responsibility Company and Sickle Cell Foundation of Nigeria’s Special Appreciation Award in recognition of the work of MTNF.

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Don Jazzy, Mavins set to join Glo in multi-million naira deal

Mavin Crew

In a move set to rock the corporate and entertainment world, Don Jazzy and the Mavins look set to ‘port’ from MTN to Nigerian-owned telecommunications giant, Globacom.

The audacious move comes just months before the contract of Nigeria’s foremost producer is due for renewal with MTN.

According to a source close to negotiations, news of Don Jazzy’s availability came up just as Globacom was preparing offers to add Mavin’s rising musicians Di’Ja, Reekado Banks and Korede Bello to their fold of brand ambassadors.

The source added that not only is Glo eager to sign the young ones all at once, they are determined to break the bank by also offering a record -breaking deal to the Mavin Records CEO.

Don Jazzy, who currently has just two months to run on his MTN deal, recently broke the internet with news of his signing with online retail giant, Konga.

He is considered an overlord of social media influencers and played an active role in creating awareness for the All Progressives Congress in the just concluded elections.

Although the other Mavin acts – Tiwa Savage, Dr. Sid, D’Prince – all have individual deals with MTN, any move to Glo by the head honcho would most likely result in a mass exodus which would hit the South African telco hard.

The trio of Di’Ja, Reekado Banks and Korede Bello were signed to Mavin Records a year ago and have already planted their feet firmly in the Nigerian music industry, with hit solos and collaborations.

Sierra-Leonean-Nigerian Hadiza Blell (Di’Ja) is the sonorous voice behind the love song, Awww. Her music career started off with relative acclaim in Canada before she moved back to Nigeria in what has turned out to be a most lucrative decision: joining Mavin Records.

Korede Bello, consistently sets the hearts of his female fans racing with songs like African Prince and Cold Outside. He also has an endorsement deal with Woodin under his belt.

Reekado Banks, hailed by many for not just his good voice but his street cred, is best known for his song, Chop Am. The graduate of the University of Lagos is a favourite amongst young Nigerians.

All efforts to get a statement from Mavin Records PR proved abortive as they declined to comment as at the time of publication.

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