Author: Amogelang Maluleka
Africa’s super app ayoba today announced the achievement of a significant milestone – surpassing the 25 million monthly active users’ mark as we celebrate our fourth anniversary.
This is up from 20 million monthly active users in December 2022. The platform is available globally but has a strong a focus on the African continent. Among key territories are Nigeria, Cameroon, South Africa, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Uganda and The Republic of Congo.
“25 million is a significant milestone to pass on our fourth birthday,” says CEO Burak Akinci. “Our journey has been transformative, and the positive response from our users fuels our drive for innovation. Our users are at the heart of our progress, and we are grateful for their support.”
So far in 2023, ayoba has focused on enhancing communication and content features. These have been well received, with a 35% increase in messages, and a 16% increase in both stories and VoIP calls. Users have viewed 88 million cards across all channels, in topics such as entertainment, education, food, fashion and more.
“The first four months of 2023 was a period of significant growth and development for ayoba. We have improved our socialisation and messaging functionalities, enhanced our microapp experience and added many more features,” Akinci says.
The introduction of the new ‘explore’ landing page marks a significant advance for ayoba’s Android version. This page, currently in pilot phase, will be rolled out to all key territories in the future. It brings a simplified design for easy navigation through ayoba’s curated high-quality content and highlights our themes to our users.
The microapp’s vertical has also seen significant evolution in Q1 at ayoba, as a direct shortcut to the vertical has been added on the bottom navigation bar. This section, referred to as an evolving ‘ecosystem for small African business’ – and some larger ones – allows service providers easy access to the existing ayoba user base with minimal effort. The most popular micro-apps currently are ‘live scores’ (allowing users to get the latest sports scores), ‘ayoba gifting’, ‘video play apps’, sports, and shopping.
Born out of a partnership with MTN, ayoba is available on all networks. In certain participating territories, users on ayoba receive complimentary daily data, amplifying its value proposition*. ayoba’s growth trajectory has it on track to achieve 100 million monthly active users by 2025 in line with MTN’s Ambition 2025 strategy.
*VoIP and video call are not zero rated for MTN subscribers
MTN Group is committed to enabling the benefits of a modern connected life for everyone in our markets. Our 2022 Sustainability Report (SR) spells out our work in the year to create shared value, with ESG at the core.
In a year fraught with challenges, we remained focused onensuring that we create value for our stakeholders through responsible environmental, social, governance and economic value-added practices and solutions. The challenges included the protracted effects of the pandemic and the first war in Europe in 80 years, accelerating inflation, supply chain disruptions and the escalating climate crisis.
Reflecting on the increasing global focus on sustainability, Nompilo Morafo, MTN Group Chief Sustainability & Corporate Affairs Officer said, “Organisations are now expected from than ever before to operate responsibly, with integrity, and with a focus on the wellbeing of our communities and planet.
“By combining our core connectivity and mobility strengths with emerging technologies such as 5G, AI, cloud computing and machine learning, we are laying the groundwork for a thriving digital economy and helping to solve many of the challenges facing our customers and communities today.”
Among key ESG metrics on which we made improvements in 2022 are the Group’s reduction of GHG emissions in the year (approximately 13.9%^ compared to an annual target of 3.5% in pursuit of reaching Net Zero emissions by 2040); MTN’scontribution to sustainable societies through increasing broadband coverage (to 88% of the population from 83% in 2021); and our performance score on governance, freedom of expression and privacy according to Ranking Digital Rights (the most improved company in the index for the second year in a row).
In a case study, we spell out MTN South Africa’s work to reduce GHG emissions, our energy footprint and our reliance on the national grid through a major solar project to make our 14thAvenue head office a completely green one.
We also detail our economic contribution to society (approximately R149 billion from R115 billion in 2021); discuss our circular economy efforts and those to use natural resources responsibly; our work to accelerate digital and financial inclusion; initiatives to foster a more diverse society (including increasing the representation of women at MTN to 40%); and projects to safeguard our people and customers and further embed ethical and responsible business practices.
Driven to ensure a diverse and inclusive workforce in 2022 for the second year running, we performed a gender pay gap assessment across 18 markets. We focused our efforts to determine the reasons for the gender pay gap, and established plans to reduce this over the short and medium term.
In case studies from eSwatini, Rwanda and South Africa we discuss efforts to make MTN’s products and services more accessible to people living with disabilities, and in particular to develop products and services to meet the communication needs of the visually and hearing-impaired community.
With a focus on growth, we outline how we are enabling local economies, empowering local enterprises and unlocking local ownership across our markets. We refer to our tax contribution;our network infrastructure investment; and our localisation and enterprise development initiatives, including providing digital skills training to more than 1 250 SMEs.
A case study on Rwanda shows MTN’s MoMo platform integration to enable the collection of various government services, taxes and fees, and the disbursement of local government payments to vulnerable people, as well as the payment of university student bursaries and teacher salaries through MoMo.
As we strive to be the partner of choice to our nation-state hosts, communities, suppliers and other stakeholders, every year we monitor how our stakeholders view us. In 2022, our Reputation Index Survey showed a score of 79.6%, compared to our 75% target.
“All these efforts – including our work to cut GHG emissions, strengthen data privacy and security, minimise the gender pay gap and uphold digital human rights are reflected in the continued improvement in the ESG ratings accorded to MTN by key raters and rankers,” says Morafo.
We invite all our stakeholders to read our 2022 Sustainability Report as we continue to position MTN at the centre of Africa’s transformation to improve people’s quality of life and to be economically empowering and environmentally sustainable.
In particular, we draw stakeholders’ attention to numerous case studies on a wide range of topics from Cameroon, eSwatini,Ghana, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Uganda and Zambia.
Read our sustainability report here: https://bit.ly/42qwneG
Nabatanzi Flavia, at 23 years old, is the eldest of four siblings raised by a single mother. When her Grade 12 (S.6) results were released, Nabatanzi’s life came to a standstill as her mother could not afford university fees. The death of Flavia’s father had forced her stay-at-home mother into a state of shutdown, leaving her struggling to make ends meet and ensure Flavia’s siblings could attend school and achieve a Grade 7 (P7) certificate. Flavia’s mother advised her to work at a salon, contributing to the household income and helping to pay for her siblings’ education and the family’s basic needs.
One morning, a neighbor brought Flavia a flier for the Smart Girls Foundation’s “GIRLS WITH TOOLS” project, which offered free training in traditionally male-dominated careers. Although initially hesitant and influenced by her community’s belief that engineering skills were unsuitable for girls, Flavia gained the courage to enroll in electrical engineering after receiving orientation and counseling.
During her 2019 training at the Smart Girls Foundation Uganda, the MTN Foundation visited the center and made a Y’ello Care donation. This event further inspired Flavia as she interacted with MTN Uganda female employees from similar backgrounds. The MTN Foundation’s donation of tools to the GIRLS WITH TOOLS program increased Flavia’s passion for electrical engineering, as it provided more learning resources for skill development.
In 2021 and 2022, the MTN Foundation built the New Home GIRLS WITH TOOLS Skilling Center and donated computers, providing girls like Flavia with a well-equipped and functional learning environment. Now a 2023 graduate of the MTN GIRLS WITH TOOLS program, Flavia works as an electrical engineer for MANTRAC UGANDA Limited on the Tilenga Total Hoima project. She is proud that her skills enable her to support her family while taking care of her own needs. Flavia also gives back to the Smart Girls Foundation Uganda by teaching and mentoring girls enrolled in similar programs, as she appreciates the opportunities provided by the MTN GIRLS WITH TOOLS initiative.
Flavia envisions herself becoming one of Africa’s leading female electrical engineers within five years, using her skills and tools to inspire others. Committed to self-improvement, she is a highly motivated, passionate, and hardworking individual. Flavia’s strong work ethic, good values, and excellent skillset, gained through the MTN GIRLS WITH TOOLS program, continue to open doors and create opportunities for her.
MTN Group is pleased to announce the release of our suite of annual reports for 2022. The Integrated Report, the Sustainability Report, the Transparency Report and the Tax Report provide details of our work in the year to deliver on our purpose and our plans to build the MTN of tomorrow.
“2022 was a challenging year for everyone, everywhere, and was characterised by increased macroeconomic and geopolitical volatility,” says MTN Group President and CEO Ralph Mupita. “But through the challenges, we stayed focused on our Ambition 2025, which is to provide leading digital solutions for Africa’s progress, and pursued opportunities to extend digital and financial inclusion for society at large.”
Our Integrated Report is our primary communication to all stakeholders. It aims to provide a holistic view of the Group in order to enable them to make an informed assessment of our strategic performance and prospects and the value we create and preserve through our business activities. It shows the connectivity between our strategic priorities; our material matters; the six capitals; the UN’s SDGs; our stakeholders; and the risks we face and the actions we are taking to mitigate them.
It contains the key focus areas of each of our board committees in the year and their plans for the year ahead. The Integrated Report also spells out our governance structures, policy and processes, as well as our remuneration policy and how we link rewards to performance.
In the Sustainability Report, we provide details of our environmental, social and governance performance and commitments. This is in a world that is lifting expectations of all organisations to operate responsibly, with integrity and a focus on the well-being of communities and the planet.
“This year, our Sustainability Report incorporates the GSMA’s new industry-specific ‘ESG Metrics for Mobile’ disclosures. It shows how we are positioning MTN at the centre of Africa’s transformation to improve the quality of life of Africans and to be economically empowering and environmentally sustainable,”says Mupita.
It details our progress in establishing MTN as a responsible, transparent and sustainable organisation, building on our climate disclosures and the work we are doing to strengthen data privacy and security, minimise the gender pay gap and uphold digital human rights.
Our Transparency Report provides insight into how MTN approaches digital human rights strategy and practice. “We believe all people should be able to communicate freely; to access and exchange information responsibly; and to enjoy privacy and security when using digital communication and data,” says Mupita.
Our voluntary Tax Report explains our tax affairs, shows our contribution to the socioeconomic development of our nationstate hosts, and that our total tax contribution in the year amounted to more than R51 billion, up from more than R44 billion in 2021.
“The 2022 suits of reports outlines the progress we are making as a company and the contribution we are making to society more broadly, which we trust all our stakeholders will find useful,” says Mupita.
Read the reports here: https://bit.ly/41Lxben
MTN Group today announced the launch of its flagship MTN Skills Academy in Zambia, the first of its operations to roll out this initiative which is aimed at addressing the digital skills gap in Africa. First introduced at MWC in Kigali, the MTN Skills Academy is a free, online learning platform that will see MTN play its role to actively drive digital skills development and job creation across Africa and have at least 60% of youth and adults on our markets having at least a minimum level of proficiency in sustainable digital skills by 2025.
With a starting point and recognition that the Digital Skills Gap Index reports 12 of the world’s 20 countries with the weakest digital skills being in Africa, this online learning platform provides young people with access to world-class training and resources in digital and financial literacy, work readiness, mentorship, and job placement services. The MTN Skills Academy is delivered in line with the AU’s digital transformation strategy ambitions.
Speaking at the launch event, the Minister of Sports, Youth and Art, Hon Elvis Nkandu said, ”The launch of the MTN digital skills Academy is a significant milestone for Zambia’s digital development. The government’s commitment to promoting science, technology, and innovation in the education sector coupled with initiatives such as the MTN digital skills academy, underscores Zambia’s determination to equip its youth with the skills necessary to thrive in the digital era”.
A strategic priority of MTN Group’s Ambition 2025 strategy is to create shared value. In this instance, the launch of the MTN Skills Academy will enable the Group to leverage its operation to enable digital inclusion and transform lives in Africa through the provision of the much needed digital training to the communities within which it operates. This launch is further demonstration of the Company’s commitment to building a sustainable future for Africa by creating economic opportunities for young people and driving the growth of the digital economy on the continent.
“It is no secret that in order to be competitive in this rapidly changing world, digital proficiency is a necessity, ”said Nompilo Morafo, MTN Group Group’s Chief Sustainability and Corporate Affairs Officer. “It is for this reason that we are thrilled to bring the MTN Skills Academy to Zambia, and to help young people across the country gain the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in the digital economy. As a pan-African company, we are committed to driving growth and development across the continent, and through this investment, we are helping to create a more equitable and sustainable future for Africa.”
The International Finance Corporation reports that by 2030 approximately 230 million jobs will require digital skills, yet the continent is far behind in reaching these numbers. The MTN Skills Academy is designed to address this critical shortage. It will initially focus on offering online training in digital and financial skills, work readiness, mentorship, and job placement, with plans to expand to include in-person training and on-the-job training in the future.
The Academy is designed to be flexible and adaptable, allowing it to respond to changing digital skills demands and provide young people with the training and resources they need to succeed in the digital economy. By continually evolving and improving the program, MTN can ensure that the academy remains a valuable resource for students and helps to bridge the digital skills gap in Africa.
The launch event for the MTN Skills Academy in Zambia took place on 25th of April, with a range of stakeholders and partners in attendance. Interested individuals residing in Zambia may access the courses and training programs offered by the academy by visiting the website and signing up.
Africa’s burgeoning youth population, which promises for it to boast the largest workforce globally by 2040, provides significant opportunity for the continent’s growth. To achieve this will require that the public and private sector work together to ensure that Africa is driving behind a single vision. That is why, as a Pan African mobile operator with a geographic breadth spanning 17 markets in Africa, MTN Group stood behind the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (“AfCFTA”) secretariat as sponsor for its recent business forum during 16-18 April in Cape Town under the theme Acceleration of Implementation of the AfCFTA.
The AfCFTA is the flagship project of the African Union’s Ambition 2063 and has, to date, been signed by 54 nations and ratified by 43. Through this avenue the AU aims to deliver the largest free-trade area globally while achieving inclusive and sustainable development across the continent. Through fora such as this the AfCFTA secretariat convenes business leaders and policy makers from across the continent to share their thoughts and recommendations on how Africa’s potential can be harnessed through the AfCFTA.
Commenting on the importance of the private sector’s participation, MTN Group Chief Sustainability and Corporate Affairs Officer, Nompilo Morafo said: “Realising the growth and development potential associated with the AfCFTA will require strong and sustainable partnerships between the public and private sector.” She adds: “It will therefore come as no surprise that MTN Group’s strategy, which is anchored on building the largest and most valuable platforms with a clear focus on Africa, recognises the importance of engaging in selective partnerships that will leverage our brand, the most valuable in Africa.”
With a vision to lead digital solutions for Africa’s progress, MTN is of the belief that digital transformation can play a critical role in accelerating the realisation of the AfCFTA and intra-Africa trade. This was demonstrated clearly during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic where movement was restricted yet economies could not stop. During this period digital infrastructure was a key enabler of connectivity and productivity globally. In Africa too, there was a significant increase in the demand for data and fintech solutions, which benefitted from the investments we made in our infrastructure and networks.
Morafo, who spoke on a panel that took into consideration the current geo-economic context, referenced climate change and conflict in the Ukraine, together with COVID-19 as the three C’s impacting Africa. During this panel she highlighted the 97% infrastructure deficit in trade-enabling sectors and noted the importance of extending digital and financial inclusion as a positive force for the transformation of individuals, companies and society.
For MTN the infrastructure deficit is an opportunity to support its nation states and build back better through investment in enabling infrastructure. To this end MTN has a target of rolling out 135 000km of proprietary infrastructure across Africa. This will enhance the critical backbone that enables seamless communication, transactions and trade across the continent.
MTN is of the view that infrastructure should not only be seen as the tangible roads and fibre networks that are built to enhance trade. Reducing the “soft infrastructure” or skills deficit across the continent is a critical contributer towards meeting the goals of the AfCFTA. In support of this, the Group has in place the MTN Group Skills Academy whose aim is to ensure 60% of youth and adults across its markets have a minimum level of proficiency in sustainable digital skills by 2025. This is aligned to the AU’s Digital Transformation strategy and the United Nations’ Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development.
“In addition to being a key driver for closing the infrastructure gap across the continent, the AfCFTA provides an important opportunity to harmonise the policies and regulations of the continent, to ease the movement of people across and between markets thus benefitting from the cross pollination of ideas and encouraging skills transfer as well as driving the movement of goods and services. Whilst there is still much more to be done, I am excited about the opportunities that face us, more especially the Protocol on Digital Trade which will create efficiencies across our industries,” concludes Morafo.
MTN Group’s strategic priority to create shared value with ESG at the core was recognised in the latest Brand Finance awards, attracting the highest ‘sustainability perceptions value’ of all companies in the survey in which MTN retained the rank as South Africa’s most valuable brand.
Brand Finance’s ‘South Africa 100 2023’ assigned MTN a brand value of R74.3 billion, up 24% in the year and nearly double that of the country’s second most valuable brand. It said this was the twelfth time in the past thirteen years that MTN was the country’s most valuable brand. It gave MTN a ‘sustainability perceptions value’ of R8.6 billion.
Brand value is the net economic benefit that a brand owner would achieve by licensing the brand in the open market.
In the survey, Brand Finance said: “MTN’s brand value continued to grow in 2023, meaning that its value is now up 50% from its pre-pandemic level. This is an impressive statistic considering the difficult operating conditions and the complex geopolitical environment that the brand has been faced with.”
It said ‘sustainability’ was one specific brand attribute that was growing in significance in terms of driving overall brand value. “As well as being South Africa’s most valuable brand, MTN also has the highest sustainability perceptions value of any brand included in the South Africa 100 2023 ranking – ZAR8.6 billion. This indicates how much brand value MTN has tied up in sustainability perceptions (11.6%).”
MTN Group President and Chief Executive Officer Ralph Mupita said the survey results were an indicator of the work done to deliver on the Group’s strategic intent, which is Ambition 2025 strategic: Leading digital solutions for Africa’s progress.
“We are driven to extend digital and financial inclusion across our markets, and we thank all our stakeholders – from our subscribers, to our employees, to our nation state hosts and regulators – for their continued support. You inspire us to keep doing better together.”
MTN Group is delighted to announce the appointment of Abbad Reda as the new CEO for MTN Zambia, effective May 1, 2023, replacing Bart Hofker.
With more than 20 years of experience, Abbad has successfully delivered market share, revenue, and profit growth. Abbad joined MTN Group in 2002 and has held several senior positions, including Chief Information Officer for MTN Ghana, CEO for MTN Liberia, and is currently the CEO of MTN Afghanistan.
Abbad holds an Executive MBA from CEIBS and a Bachelor of Engineering in Computer and Communication Engineering. He has also participated in MTN’s Global Advancement Program (GAP). He assumes the reins at MTN Zambia from current CEO, Bart Hofker, who has been an invaluable asset to the organization and is leaving MTN to pursue other ventures.
Ralph Mupita, Group President, and CEO of MTN Group, said, “I am pleased to announce the appointment of Abbad Reda as the new CEO for MTN Zambia and believe he will add immense value to the market. He will continue to support MTN Afghanistan, where he has been managing matters related to MTN’s orderly exit of the country. With over two decades of experience and a proven track record in driving growth, Abbad is well-equipped to lead MTN Zambia into its next phase of growth and development. I am confident that Abbad will build on the solid foundation laid by his predecessor and take the business to new heights. I thank Bart for his valuable contributions to the organization during his 7-year tenure at MTN and wish him all the best in his future endeavours.”
Following the signing of a five-year strategic partnership in September 2022, MTN and Microsoft are in the process of delivering a programme of work that will see the latest technologies deployed for the benefit of MTN’s customers, starting with South Africa and Nigeria.
The core of the programme will focus on migrating BSS and OSS applications to the Microsoft Azure cloud aiming to realise operational benefits and cost efficiencies. Work has already begun with the establishment of MTN Group Cloud Centre of Excellence and Project Nephos to migrate, carefully selected, business applications to Azure. MTN and Microsoft will work closely with Accenture who will be providing technology implementation, integration and support services to successfully enable the migration and operations of the targeted environments.
One of the cornerstone elements of the programme is the migration of EVA, MTN’s extensive core big data platform, to Azure. Beyond infrastructure optimisation, MTN will evolve further its common data model to enable use cases that bridge typical divides across network, IT and commercial domains taking advantage of native Azure capabilities, including machine learning and artificial intelligence.
MTN’s core belief is that everyone deserves the benefits of a modern connected life. Through the partnership with Microsoft, with Project Nephos we have embarked on an extensive skills development program in cloud technologies, devsecops and data management. Hundreds of MTN employees in Nigeria and South Africa have already benefitted from the Microsoft Enterprise Skills Initiative (ESI) which provides hands-on technical training and certification in Microsoft Azure technologies; the program will run across multiple countries where MTN operates to maximise the impact of the partnership.
Project Nephos is built around the principle of delivering maximum value as early possible through selecting the most suitable applications to be migrated to Azure with a fixed migration cost and carefully designed operational costs. Working together with Microsoft and Accenture, MTN is taking a unique approach to the deployment of workloads to the public cloud seeking opportunities to improve customer experience and enhance organisational agility while pursuing cost transformation in a predictable and committed way. This approach has already enabled MTN to complete a proof of concept for the world’s first 5G standalone core network solution deployed in Microsoft’s Azure public cloud in just a few weeks!
“Our strategic partnership with Microsoft will enable us to transform the way we deliver products and services to our customers. We will bring the power of cloud computing to life driving development and innovation with speed, flexibility and predictable investments and operations. We remain focused on nurturing the digital skills within MTN and in the societies we operate in and building digital platforms to drive digital transformation across Africa and the Middle East” says Nikos Angelopoulos, MTN Group Chief Information Officer.
“Harnessing the power of MTN, Microsoft and Accenture, we will be working closely together to build the next wave of compressed digital transformation across the continent. We see this program becoming a global standard in the industry for years to come” Nitesh Singh Communications, Media and Technology Lead for Accenture Africa.
MTN, Africa’s largest mobile network operator, has conducted a proof of concept for a first-of-its-kind 5G Stand Alone Core fully deployed in Microsoft Azure. MTN is working with Microsoft to accelerate digital and cloud transformation to help drive Africa’s growth.
The proof of concept was conducted with all of the 5G Stand Alone Core elements including control plane, user plane and management nodes, deployed fully in the South Africa Azure Region. The project allowed MTN to experience the benefits associated with deploying a core network in Azure including fast deployment time (days vs months) and ease of scale. The learnings drive a paradigm shift in network planning considering sustainability, commercial models, automation and disaster recovery.
“Being one of the first in the world to conduct this proof of concept demonstrates MTN’s desire to keep pushing the boundaries of technological innovation that delivers value to our shareholders,” says Amith Maharaj, MTN Group Chief Technology Officer.
5G has the ability to transform business and livelihoods beyond simple connectivity in Africa. The key lies in the ultra-fast end-to-end communication capacity it enables. It will enable many industries such as education, healthcare, logistics, manufacturing, agriculture and mining to be more efficient.
Executing on the PACE technology strategy, MTN Group is ramping up its rollout of 5G sites targeting a population coverage of 10%-30% in the medium term.
“Microsoft is equipping industry leaders with ubiquitous computing power to help them realize the potential of 5G networks. With Azure, MTN can enrich its digital capabilities and enable organizations across industries to bring modern high-performance applications to their customers faster,” said Tad Brockway, Corporate Vice President Azure for Operators, Microsoft.
MTN will use the PoC as a stepping stone to drive further innovation in the cloud domain as part of its PACE technology strategy to accelerate the execution of its Ambition 2025 and drive industry leading connectivity operations through technology platforms that are second to none.
As our Group President and CEO Ralph Mupita has said, “Africa will surprise on 5G.” The continent stands at the cusp of an industrial evolution (Industry 4.0) enabled by 5G. Never has a technology been so eagerly anticipated.