MTN’s social investment hits N24.73bn as 500 women receive grants, vocational skills

Odunayo Sanya, executive secretary of MTN Foundation, has said that the leading telecoms company had so far invested N24.73 billion in various socio-economic interventions which are part of its corporate social responsibility for the Nigerians and Nigeria between 2005 and 2022.

The MTN Nigeria Foundation, which has four cardinal areas of social investments, namely, Youth Development, Arts and Culture, Mother & Child Health and National Priority, undertook different live-improving programmes in Nigeria to better the lives of many citizens and assist Nigeria’s government by regularly performing its corporate social responsibility.

Sanya, who received 20 Nigerian Journalists that had undergone 6-month media training fully sponsored by MTN Nigeria, tagged, “MTN Media Innovation Programme I” to the MTN Nigeria Headquarters in Ikoyi, Lagos on Friday, noted that a total of 1,002 CSR projects, which were scattered across 36 States and Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, gulping N24.73 billion had been completed for the benefit of Nigerians.

“The MTN Nigeria Foundation, was established in 2004 but started investing Nigerian projects in 2005. We have invested a total of N24.73 billion in 1,002 different projects, covering the Youth Development, Arts and Culture, Mother & Child Health and National Priority.

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“For us at the MTN Nigeria Foundation, clear governance is involved in whatever we do and of course, we have achieved a well-thought strategy around what we should and what we do. I am pleased to announce that MTN Nigeria Foundation understands Nigeria and Nigerians, hence, our programmes here in terms of CSR are focused on activities that can accelerate socio-cultural and socio-economic growth and development”, she said.

Speaking on Youth and Women development, Sanya submitted that MTN Nigeria Foundation had partnered Enterprise Development Centre (EDC), Lagos Business School under the Pan-Atlantic University, Lagos to organise virtual ICT and Business Skills training for 500 women across Nigeria with a view to offering as much as N2 million loan to 150 out 500 participants of the programme.

“We’ve partnered with Enterprise Development Centre (EDC) of Pan-Atlantic University, Lagos to offer ICT and Business Skills Training for 500 women. Of course, we are training 500 women, we will enabling 150 of them with loan of about N2 Million each. The Bank of Industry (BoI) will handle the loan and start-up kits aspect, while the EDC of PAU handles the training part.

“The virtual training is centred around how you can market, how you can set up a business and all of that, and this year we have introduced a grant system into it. Let me just say, all the loan we have talked about, a portion of it, I think 25% of the loan is actually a grant, so you pay back 75%”, Sanya said.