Telecom
Fashola, Ndukwe, Others Applaud MTNF “Decade of Impact”
MTN Nigeria Foundation “MTNF” an arm of MTN Nigeria responsible for the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), on Tuesday received applauses eminent personalities, communities and families it impacted in the last ten year.
MTNF was established in 2005 for the purpose of focusing MTN Nigeria’s efforts in terms of its Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives to help reduce poverty and foster sustainable development in Nigeria.
The Foundation which has spent over N13billion on 341 projects sited across the 36 States of the Federation and the FCT, received commendations, especially from Mr. Babatunde Fashola, the immediate past Governor of Lagos State and keynote speaker; Dr. Ernest Ndukwe, the pioneer executive vice chairman of the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC); Dr. Pascal Dozie, chairman, MTN Nigeria, Prince Julius Adelusi-Adeluyi, chairman of MTNF; Mr. Michael Ikpoki, MD/CEO, MTN Nigeria, among others, at the ceremony held at Eko Hotel in Lagos.
In a keynote address titled, “The Role of CSR in Nigeria’s Sustainable Development”, said that while in office as Governor of Lagos has witnessed MTNF’s penchant interest and active involvement in tackling issues around health, education, security, environment and sports.
Brief Overview of MTNF’s Philosophy
These, according to Fashola, were summoned in one of Dr. Pascal Dozie’s rare interviews in a newspaper who said “…we agreed that we …will engage people who had a molecule of virtues, who understood the principles of good governance and what it takes to be responsible”.
The keynote speaker said, “These are underprinning philosophers of MTN as Telecommunications Company and Dr. Dozie provides clarity of vision and purpose behind the MTN foundation, which is the CSR platform of the MTN business”.
MTNF’s Contributions in Fashola Era
Fashola recalled “MTN foundation singlehandedly equipped a laboratory with vocational and technical equipment for the training of our young children in our technical college Ikorodu. I know that MTN foundation intervened in collaboration with us to provide two Haemodialysis machines in our general hospital in Igando, Alimosho, although we have since completed Gbadaga Cardiac and Kidney centre that now has 24 dialysis machines”.
The ex-Governor also lauded MTNFoundation’s input towards installing free emergency phones on the third-mainland bridge, “which was eventually unsuccessful because the phones were vandalized.
“On the basis of the evidence available to me, MTN Foundation must stand free of any suggestion that they seek to mask or distract the public from the ethical question that their (operational) activities create”, he said extolling the platform’s achievements in the past 10 years.
Separating CSR From Core Telecoms Business
On his part, Dr. Ernest Ndukwe, former EVC of NCC and chairman, OpenMedia Group, said that MTN Nigeria’s ability to separate the CSR platform from the core telecoms business deserves commendations and shows its commitment to impact lives “for good” and participation in building the nation’s economy.
“For you to have a separate entity in charge of CSR initiative and participate in private-public partnership (PPP) projects simply show how interested the Company is in adding value to the society. MTN deserves commendations for that”, Ndukwe said.
He said that while some corporate bodies are yet to understanding the core meaning of CSR, MTNF has gone ahead to strategically engage on credible projects, especially the sustainable ones.
The Genesis of MTNF
Also, Prince Julius Adelusi-Adeluyi, chairman of MTNF, reiterated that in September 2004, MTN Nigeria Communications Limited consulted with a diverse group of stakeholders across the country including Philips Consulting, to ascertain the needs of the Nigerian people.
The findings of the rich consultative process, he said, enabled the development of a more focused strategy under the three portfolio areas, Education, Health and Economic Empowerment.
“In conjunction with local and international partner organisations, MTN Nigeria Foundation remains committed to improving individual and communal lives through social investment projects that nurture people’s inherent abilities, care for and respect people’s dignity and help create economic value in their lives. The Foundation has been able to produce an overall positive impact on society, as evidenced in the numerous awards it has received over the years,” Adelusi-Adeluyi said.
The Chairman said he is delighted with the progress made by the Foundation since inception, and the significance of the numerous projects and activities which it has been involved in.
To Nonny Ugboma, executive secretary of MTNF, the journey has taken the team through several memorable roads, touching lives and building enduring friendships along the way, while they have made significant impact through 341 project sites located in all 36 states and the FCT gulping over N13billion.
“MTNF was established as answer to needs and close some gaps in the society. At launch, just few companies had their CSR rightly targeted at the rural dwellers in the country; so we set the pace”, he said.
According to her, the projects have been impactful and sustainable due to the support garnered from the MTNF board, private, public organisations and civic societies as well as the project partners and the MTNF team.
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Nigeria’s telecom operators recorded 155, 397 fibre-cut incidents between April and May 2026, and these they blame on why internet or calls suddenly stop working.
Data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) showed fibre-cut incidents increased from 74 276 in April to a record 79 121 in May, bringing the two-month total to the highest level recorded by the industry.
This represents a 2 428% increase from the 5 934 incidents reported during the first quarter of 2026.
Vandalism remained the leading cause of fibre cuts, accounting for more than 54 000 incidents despite telecom infrastructure being designated as Critical National Information Infrastructure, a classification intended to strengthen protection of key digital assets.
Also road construction constantly damages fiber where iggers and machines tear up buried cables during road repairs or construction.
Even with all these, some state governments make it hard for companies to fix cables quickly across different areas with all manners of fees and levies.
The NCC designation provides for penalties of up to 10 years’ imprisonment for offenders, but operators continue to face widespread infrastructure damage.
Proposed solutions, including Nigeria’s Dig-Once policy and AI-powered fibre sensing technologies, have yet to achieve widespread adoption.
The NCC is developing a cost-based framework for shared underground duct infrastructure, while operators are exploring AI-powered fibre sensing technologies that can detect cable damage in real time and improve network resilience.
Nigeria is pursuing ambitious broadband targets under its National Broadband Plan and has expanded fibre deployment to about 35 000 kilometres.
However, infrastructure protection has not kept pace with network expansion, leaving subscribers vulnerable to unreliable connectivity despite continued operator investment.
Standard Bank has partnered with Helios Towers to provide a $29 million Social Documentary Credit Facility. According to the financial services company, this transaction marks Standard Bank’s first Documentary Credit Facility structured in a Sustainable Finance format.
It notes that the facility will support the procurement and importation of telecommunications infrastructure and related services across Africa.
It will also provide payment certainty to suppliers, while supporting Helios Towers’ working capital requirements and infrastructure expansion programme, the bank adds.
Structured in accordance with the Loan Market Association’s Social Loan Principles, the financing is designed to promote digital connectivity and telecommunications infrastructure development in underserved markets.
This will help Helios Towers further expand its footprint and enhance mobile network coverage and connectivity across the continent.
Helios Towers operates one of Africa’s independent telecommunications tower platforms, enabling mobile network operators to extend coverage across multiple markets.
Standard Bank notes that the facility supports the expansion of tower infrastructure and services, increased network densification and improved connectivity in underserved markets and remote regions across the African continent.
It will also drive digital inclusion and tackle the digital divide while supporting economic growth and socio-economic development.
“This transaction demonstrates the power of innovation in trade finance. By combining a first-to-market Social Documentary Credit Facility with a cross-border funding solution, Standard Bank has supported Helios Towers’ growth ambitions while helping extend digital connectivity to underserved communities across Africa,” says Benoit Samouilhan, global transaction banker at Standard Bank Corporate and Investment Banking.
According to the bank, this facility enables positive social impact by increasing and improving network coverage and connectivity in some of the world’s most remote regions.
“Reliable digital infrastructure is fundamental to Africa’s future growth and development,” says Alex Carter, group finance director at Helios Towers.
“This facility provides us with the flexibility and certainty needed to support our ongoing infrastructure investments while advancing our mission of expanding connectivity across the continent. We value our longstanding relationship with Standard Bank and look forward to building on this partnership.”
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) will on Thursday convene a stakeholders’ consultative forum to review the draft business rules for Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) in Nigeria.
NCC
The forum, scheduled to hold at 10 a.m. at the NCC Annex Office, Mbora, Abuja, is expected to bring together telecommunications operators, industry associations and other stakeholders to provide input on the proposed regulatory framework before its finalisation.
The commission announced the event on its official social media platforms, inviting interested stakeholders to participate in the consultation process.
The engagement is part of the NCC’s efforts to strengthen the regulatory framework for MVNO operations and promote greater competition, innovation and consumer choice in Nigeria’s telecommunications sector.
Mobile Virtual Network Operators are telecommunications service providers that offer mobile services by leasing network capacity from licensed Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), rather than owning spectrum licences or telecommunications infrastructure.
The NCC has identified the MVNO licensing framework as one of its initiatives aimed at deepening competition, expanding access to telecommunications services and driving digital inclusion across the country.
The consultative forum is expected to provide stakeholders with the opportunity to review the draft business rules, make recommendations and contribute to the development of a robust operational framework for the emerging MVNO segment.
The commission is expected to issue further details on the outcome of the consultation after the meeting.
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