MTN celebrates 30 years of driving change in South Africa and looks forward to an even brighter future

MTN is celebrating its 30th birthday this year and is proud of how it has worked with communities, as well as private and public sector organisations, to grow South Africa over the past three decades.

As part of its commitment to the country, MTN South Africa has also retained its Level 1 Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) contributor status for the fifth consecutive years.

• Click here to learn more about how MTN is contributing towards a better South Africa.

“We recognise that our success is intertwined with the success of local businesses and people in the markets in which we operate,” said MTN Business.

Looking back at MTN’s positive impact on the country, several achievements stand out as key to the company’s commitment to supporting South African communities.

One of the most prominent is its RT-15 agreement with the South African government, which was awarded in 2021. The agreement enables MTN to work with provincial and national state departments to support key sectors and the communities that rely on them.

MTN’s world-class network is a key pillar in its RT-15 partnership, as it allows MTN to offer unrivalled data, voice, and SMS packages that keep government employees connected at all times.

The articles below highlight top examples of how MTN has helped state departments improve their service delivery – thereby helping communities access improved living conditions:

• MTN and government departments improve service delivery in the Eastern Cape
• MTN excited to help South African SOEs reach new heights in 2024
• MTN offers affordable data to South African government employees in 2024
• How VoIP from MTN can transform South Africa’s labour sector

Supporting communities and the youth

MTN has also launched several initiatives to empower South African communities directly.

Among the most notable are its skills development programmes – comprising its MTN Online School and MTN Skills Academy.

MTN Online School provides educational content covering grades R to 12, while the Skills Academy boasts post-matric courses covering everything from digital marketing to data science-related short courses.

In combination, these programmes provide everything young South Africans need to develop new skills that help them grow the local economy and their communities.

Both of these programmes have been extremely successful, with over 700,000 learners accessing the Online School platform and its digital curriculum, while over 900 unemployed youths have received skills training from the MTN Skills Academy to date.

Education isn’t the only way MTN is supporting South African communities, either. It has taken steps to promote the growth of local businesses, too, with a focus on its own supply chain.

The most recent initiative launched in this regard is the Xlerator enterprise and supplier development programme.

This programme supports the growth of black-owned suppliers with financial, developmental, and training support.

By providing these resources, MTN is helping entrepreneurs build their own businesses and employ individuals from their communities.

Click here to learn more about how MTN is contributing towards a better South Africa.