MTN joins JAC and GeSI to accelerate sustainability across its supply chain

MTN Group is pleased to announce that it has joined the Joint Audit Cooperation (JAC) and the Global Enabling Sustainability Initiative (GeSI), two globally recognised industry bodies committed to promoting technologies and practices that foster environmental, social and governance sustainability.

These memberships are a vital step in the realisation of MTN’s sustainability vision of creating shared value for our stakeholders through responsible economic, environmental and social practices.  

“As the leading operator in many of our markets, we recognise that in partnering with JAC and GeSI we have a significant opportunity to contribute to the collective agenda of driving greater adoption of sustainable environmental and social practices across our supply chain and the sector. This is how we realise the outcomes we aim for in placing ESG at the core,” says MTN Group Executive for Corporate Affairs and Sustainability Nompilo Morafo.

Telecommunications is a rapidly changing industry, vibrant with emerging technologies and competitive disruptors that are altering established business models and creating new sustainability-related opportunities and risks.

MTN Group Executive for Procurement & Supply Chain Management Dirk Karl says: “We recognise the unique blend of know-how that these two well-established bodies bring. In joining, we are able to verify the sustainability performance levels of our top 20 suppliers and their sub suppliers who have already been audited. The memberships also provide a platform to further enhance the audit coverage across our supplier base.”

Members of JAC – which was founded in 2010 and whose members include many of the world’s largest telecoms operators – share resources and best practices to develop long-term corporate social responsibility implementation in the different tiers of the ICT supply chain globally. Collaboration between the largest operators promotes sustainable sourcing globally.

“On behalf of JAC and its member companies, we are very pleased to welcome MTN on-board with us and look forward to working together. This provides us with further diversity from African and Middle Eastern continents in our collaboration on making progress on supply chain sustainability topics and issues,” says Paras Shah, JAC Chairman.

GeSI works to facilitate real-world solutions to real-world issues by contributing towards a sustainable future, communicating the industry’s corporate responsibility efforts and driving the sustainability agenda.

“GeSI’s mission is to help create a smarter, more sustainable world with digital solutions at its core,” said Luis Neves, Global CEO of GeSI. “We are thrilled to have a company like MTN, a leader in its industry sector and region, join us as a Member. Their engagement reinforces GeSI’s work to harness innovative digital solutions as a force for good as we commit to the 2030 Agenda. We look forward to a long partnership with MTN.”

MTN strives to always conduct business in a way that supports the long-term sustainability of the societies in which we operate. To meet these objectives, we conduct business with suppliers and partners who share our commitment to high ethical standards and operate in a responsible manner.

To provide our customers with the products and services they need, MTN relies on a multi-faceted and multi-layered global supply chain, which consists of approximately 15 000 suppliers. Not many telcos – particularly pan-African telcos – are members of both JAC and GeSI. By becoming a member of both organisations, MTN can ensure ethical, sustainable, environmentally responsible supply chain partners.

MTN Group bids for telecoms licence in Ethiopia

MTN Group confirms that it is participating with equity partners in a bid for a telecoms licence in Ethiopia, Africa’s second most-populous country which represents the last and largest telco liberalisation opportunity in the world.

Our participation is aligned with our strategy, Ambition 2025, focusing on capturing growth from digital acceleration across the continent. It has been made in partnership with Silk Road Fund from China. Other partners will be disclosed on a successful bid outcome.

Ethiopia provides the largest telecommunication and digital services growth opportunity in Africa over the medium term and fits into our pan-Africa focus and platform strategy. We are being guided by our capital allocation framework in our assessment of this opportunity,” commented MTN Group President and CEO Ralph Mupita, in confirming the MTN and Silk Road Fund equity partnership bid.

MTN has a long history of building and operating market-leading operations in numerous markets across Africa and the Middle East, including establishing greenfield operations. At the end of 2020, MTN Group had 280 million subscribers across 21 markets.

MTN Group publishes 2020 Integrated, Sustainability, Transparency and Tax Reports

MTN Group today publishes our suite of 2020 reports – including the Integrated, Sustainability, Transparency and Tax Reports – covering how the Group performed in the year and how we delivered on our commitments to stakeholders.

“2020 was unprecedented in the challenges and opportunities that the COVID-19 pandemic created across the markets we operate in. In the year, the Group focused on building resilience and sustainability and positioning the business for accelerated growth given the digital acceleration occasioned by the pandemic,” comments MTN Group Chairman Mcebisi Jonas.

The reports detail the impact of COVID-19 on our markets and business; the Group’s support to stakeholders in these challenging times; our work to manage the risks of pandemic; and our plans to make the most of the opportunities. These factors played a part in shaping MTN Group’s repositioned strategy, Ambition 2025: Leading digital solutions for Africa’s progress, which is detailed throughout our reports.

MTN Group’s 2020 Integrated Report tells the MTN value-creation story clearly and concisely, reflecting integrated thinking. Enhancements to the report this year include a thorough discussion on the new strategy, as well as dedicated sections on COVID-19, the Group’s outlook and our key issues.

Under the new Ambition 2025 strategy, one of the Group’s four priorities is to ‘create shared value’, with environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles at the core.

COVID-19 has exacerbated underlying economic and social inequalities and is unfolding at the same time as a mounting climate crisis. As a result, instilling sound ESG principles is fundamental to building resilience and ensuring that MTN is future-fit and plays its role in building sustainable societies,” says MTN Group President and Chief Executive Officer Ralph Mupita. “Diversity and inclusion are important aspects of future sustainable societies and although we have made good progress with greater representation of women at senior levels in the company, there is still a lot of work to do.”

The Sustainability Report details our commitment to reach net zero emissions by 2040, as well as the naming of Nkululeko Sowazi, chair of the MTN Group Social and Ethics Committee, as the MTN Group designated Board member responsible for ensuring climate risks and opportunities are appropriately addressed within the company.

In 2020, MTN Group advanced digital and financial inclusion by reducing by a third the cost to communicate and enabling over $152 billion of transactions through extending Mobile Money services for customers and small and medium enterprises.

By investing nearly R29 billion in the year, we extended network coverage to more people. We also connected more of the unconnected through MTN Data-Smart’s digital literacy initiative. Available in eight African markets, this has now been used to train more than 18 million people about the power of the internet.

On 1 April, three women entered key leadership roles at MTN Board and Executive Committee level, helping the Group reach a milestone of 33% women at Board level and 28% at Exco level, both above African and global averages.

Through our CSI efforts, in 2020 MTN impacted 23,8 million people, of whom 10,5 million were youth, providing them with the ICT skills and opportunities to help them become economically active.

Our Transparency Report seeks to provide an understanding of our operating environment, risks and approach to digital human rights across our footprint.

In many of the countries in which the Group operates, MTN is one of the largest taxpayers. This comes with the responsibility to report thoroughly and transparently on our tax affairs. MTN Group’s 2020 Tax Report spells out our total tax contribution, which goes well beyond the corporate income taxes paid on profits to include indirect taxes, withholding taxes, payroll taxes, operating licence fees and other payments to authorities.

In 2020, MTN Group’s total tax contribution was R35,1 billion, up from R30,5 billion in 2019. This was just one of the ways the Group contributed to enhancing sustainable societies.

“We believe that this suite of reports will provide stakeholders with a comprehensive and integrated understanding of the progress and achievements of the MTN Group, as well as the priorities over the short, medium and longer term,” concludes Mupita. To access reports: https://www.mtn.com/investors/financial-reporting/integrated-reports/

MTN Rwandacell PLC to list by introduction on Rwanda Stock Exchange

MTN Rwandacell Plc (MTN Rwanda) is pleased to announce that it will list on the Rwanda Stock Exchange (RSE) on 4 May 2021.  

This announcement follows the approval by the Capital Market Authority (CMA) and the Rwanda Stock Exchange (RSE) of MTN Rwanda’s listing by introduction on the RSE and the approval of Crystal Telecom’s (CTL) shareholders to distribute the 20% of MTN Rwanda’s shareholding held by CTL to CTL shareholders effective from the listing date.

The listing of MTN Rwanda will see 1,350,886,600 ordinary shares with a nominal value of Rwf 1 each being registered with the RSE at an initial listing price of Rwf269 per ordinary share. CTL shareholders will become direct shareholders in MTN Rwanda and be able to trade their MTN Rwanda shares on the RSE.

Commenting on the announcement, Mitwa Ng’ambi, CEO of MTN Rwanda, said: “The official listing of MTN Rwanda’s shares on the RSE will take place on 4 May 2021. We look forward to participating in the capital markets of Rwanda and see this as an exciting opportunity for the investor community at large to participate directly in the ownership of MTN Rwanda. We are also excited to welcome former CTL shareholders as MTN Rwanda shareholders.

CMA Executive Director Eric Bundugu noted: “We welcome MTN Rwanda’s listing by introduction on the RSE as a demonstration of an international company local investors can continue to participate in as well as being an attraction to foreign investors into the Rwandan capital market. The listing will also continue to provide liquidity for existing and future shareholders.”

Iza Irame, CTL’s CEO, said: “We are happy to see this important transaction materialize. It will allow our shareholders to retain their economic interest in MTN Rwanda while gaining from the efficiency and visibility that comes with direct ownership.”

Celestin Rwabukumba, CEO of the RSE, said: “MTN Rwanda joining the RSE list of companies is a great and welcome development for our market as it increases our market capitalization. The company being of a good size adds on the number of leading brands to our Exchange and offers more visibility into the company’s operations to shareholders and the general investing public, which in turn should trigger more interest from potential new investors going forward.

MTN Group President and CEO Ralph Mupita called the listing a milestone: “Enabling Rwandans the opportunity to participate in the company’s success is part of our work to promote local ownership and participation in MTN businesses across our markets, and to create shared value.” He added that the listing was particularly significant given the increasing importance of broadband access in driving economic and industrial development across Africa.

More information about the listing and investor relations can be found at www.mtn.co.rw/investors. To learn more about MTN Rwanda and its various initiatives, visit www.mtn.co.rw.

Update on banking channel partners’ dispute and expansion of channel network

Following the temporary suspension of sales of MTN products through our banking channel partners on April 2, 2021, services were restored on Sunday, April 4, 2021 with customers able to access all services. This was agreed on the basis that MTN would revert to its previous cost of sales structures with banking partners, until a new long-term agreement can be reached on a sustainable pricing structure going forward.

Consequent on the intervention of the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, the Nigeria Communication Commission and the Central Bank of Nigeria, since April 6, 2021, MTN has been participating in a series of meetings to align on longer term pricing structures. We will provide a further market update once these discussions have been concluded. The streamlining MTN undertook is international standard and best practice as scale is built along distribution channels. We are confident that partners in the banking sector will work with us to ensure this process concludes as quickly as possible to the benefit of the entire industry.

MTN would like to thank our customers for their patience, and express our regret at the inconvenience imposed on them while banking channels were offline. In order to further expand the range of channels available to customers, MTN has activated a number of new channel partnerships with fintech partners and these will remain in place, significantly expanding the channels available to our customers and increasing our sales and distribution network.

The new channel partners include Sparkle, Konga Pay, Barter By Flutter Wave, Jumia Pay, OPay, Kuda, Carbon, BillsnPay, MTN On Demand, MTN Xtratime airtime loans (*606#), myMTN Web http://mymtn.com.ng and Momo agent *223#.

We would also like to thank the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, the Nigeria Communication Commission and the Central Bank of Nigeria for their rapid intervention and we look forward to a mutually acceptable solution that empowers all ecosystem participants.