Telecom
MTN Foundation Crosses ₦32Bn Milestone in Social Investments
MTN Foundation has reaffirmed its commitment to driving sustainable development across Nigeria, announcing that its social investments have now exceeded N32bn in the past 20 years, impacting over 3,500 communities in 570 local government areas across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
L-R: Yemi Adebayo, Reporter, AIT and Fellow, MTN Media Innovation Program (MIP) Cohort 4; Odunayo Sanya, Executive Director, MTN Foundation; Isaac Ogugua-Ezechukwu, Programs Administrator, Professional Education, School of Media and Communications, Pan-Atlantic University and Blessings Mosugu, Reporter, News Central TV and Fellow, MTN MIP Cohort 4, during the June session of the MTN Media Innovation Program (MIP) Cohort 4, held at the Pan-Atlantic University, Ibeju-Lekki on Monday, June 23, 2025.
The announcement was made by the Executive Director of the MTN Foundation, Odunayo Sanya, during an engagement with Fellows of the MTN Media Innovation Programme (MIP) in Lagos. The MTN MIP, a 6-week-long programme spread across six months for media practitioners in Nigeria, serves as a platform for media professionals to enhance their influence and impact through education and capacity building.
One of the highlights of the programme is training sessions led by executives within MTN’s ecosystem. These sessions provide participants with practical, real-life examples and case studies of successful initiatives, equipping them with valuable insights and strategies to enhance their professional careers.
Speaking on the Foundation’s guiding philosophy, Sanya emphasised that MTN’s success as a business is intrinsically linked to the prosperity of the communities it serves. “We can only do well as a group to the extent that the communities that we serve do well. If the communities we operate in are not thriving, it will inevitably affect our business,” she said.
While many view connectivity in terms of data, voice, and digital services, Sanya noted that MTN’s vision of connectivity goes further, enabling real change, connecting people to possibilities, and empowering them to achieve their aspirations. “But for us, that connectivity is a reality that we are in a very privileged position to create change, to connect people to their possibilities, and just enable them to grab their aspirations,” she added.
The Foundation’s mission, she explained, is to consistently enhance the well-being of Nigerian communities by fostering investment, collaboration, and partnerships. Its core focus areas are capacity building, health, and economic empowerment. “When we talk about capacity building, it’s about scaling up, retooling, and education. Anything that helps people build their capacity,” Sanya explained.
Addressing the Foundation’s focus on health, Sanya pointed out that while many corporate foundations restrict their activities to their core business areas, MTN Foundation’s approach is driven by national need. “For us, it’s about what can move the needle for us as a nation and as individuals. That’s why we invest in health, capacity building, and economic empowerment, regardless of whether it directly relates to technology,” she said.
“All of the Foundation’s interventions are aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, Nigeria’s national priorities, and MTN’s own objective of making a positive impact in communities.”
Since its inception in 2004, the MTN Foundation has invested over N32 billion, reaching more than 3,500 communities in 570 local government areas across the country. According to Sanya, the Foundation has directly impacted around 33 million Nigerians, with advocacy and awareness programmes extending its indirect reach to over 90 million people nationwide.
Focusing on the MIP initiative, Sanya stressed that while the programme provides tools, knowledge and exposure, the real measure lies in their application. “Nothing empowers like yourself. The real change begins when our media professionals take what they’ve learned and apply it meaningfully. Without that, knowledge becomes stagnant.”
She further highlighted the competitive selection process, reminding participants of the honour of being selected for the programme. “Thousands applied, and you are among the few here. That shows you have something special. The next step is to pay it forward through ethical journalism and commitment to nation-building.”
Echoing this sentiment, President of the MIP Cohort 4, Mr Yemi Adebayo, described the programme as “life-changing.” After three years of attempting to gain admission, Adebayo expressed his satisfaction at finally being part of the experience.
“It goes beyond journalism,” he said. “It equips us with leadership, branding and life skills that many in our field rarely encounter. Every journalist should aspire to this level of exposure.”
Localised, industrial-grade artificial intelligence (AI) data centre infrastructure will be delivered across Africa and the Global South, following a strategic alliance between sovereign AI infrastructure company Amini, electronics manufacturing giant Hon Hai Technology Group (Foxconn) and French digital firm Bull.
The three-way partnership aims to close the sovereign compute gap by allowing governments, telecommunications operators, financial institutions and energy companies to acquire and operate computing systems domestically.
Africa’s digital economy is projected to reach $1.5 trillion by 2030, which is driving regional demand for AI-enabled services across public administration, energy and finance, the parties say.
However, advanced cloud and AI processing capabilities have historically remained concentrated within a small number of external providers. The partnership seeks to establish locally anchored infrastructure, enabling domestic organisations to retain control over data and digital sovereignty.
Under the agreement, Amini will drive local market engagement and deployment, leveraging its existing platforms for locally anchored data capacity.
Foxconn will provide specialised hardware, server architecture and modular data centre technologies in its first dedicated infrastructure initiative focused on African markets.
Bull integrates its expertise in high-performance computing, quantum computing and emerging-market digital capacity. By operating independent systems, critical national sectors can bypass reliance on external platform architectures.
Financial entities can deploy independent credit, risk assessment and financial inclusion algorithms, while energy providers can implement localised machine learning for predictive maintenance and national grid optimisation.
“AI is becoming foundational infrastructure for every economy, yet most of the world still lacks the compute capacity required to participate on its own terms,” said Kate Kallot, founder and CEO of Amini. “This partnership ensures that Africa and the Global South can acquire, own and operate AI infrastructure locally, with sovereignty and long-term economic value at its core.”
Alexandre Jouys, chief commercial officer and head of Southern Europe, Middle East and Africa at Bull, added that Africa and more generally the Global South have the potential to emerge as a global-scale AI hub, by continuing to build regional computing capacity and supply chain independence.
The organizing committee of the 2026 Nigeria DigitalSENSE Forum (NDSF) on Internet Governance for Development (IG4D) is proud to announce Dr. Olusola Teniola as the Chairman for this year’s landmark event.
A seasoned leader with over 32 years of global experience in the telecommunications and technology sectors, Dr. Teniola brings a wealth of strategic expertise to the forum.
The Convener of NDSF and Group Executive Editor, ITREALMS Media group, Ogbuefi Remmy Nweke, welcomed the appointment, noting that Dr. Teniola’s leadership comes at a pivotal time for Nigeria’s digital economy.
Dr. Teniola currently serves as the Director of Strategic Business Initiatives at ipNX Nigeria, where he leads market expansion across West and Central Africa.
His recent contributions as a Digital Development Consultant to the World Bank Group for the May 2025 Country Private Sector Diagnostic report further underscore the high-level expertise he brings to the 2026 forum.
Dr. Teniola’s career is defined by high-impact leadership and infrastructure development:
- He previously served as COO for Oodua Infraco Resource Limited, overseeing the deployment of 870km of digital infrastructure in Southwest Nigeria.
- He is the past President of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) and succeeded Dr. Ernest Ndukwe as the National Coordinator for the Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4ai).
- His background includes executive roles at global giants such as British Telecom, Vodafone, Cisco Inc, and Alcatel-Lucent Technologies.
- He has been a vital contributor to the Nigerian Broadband Plan (2012-2013 and 2020-2025) and currently serves on the IPv6 Council.
Dr. Teniola holds a B.Eng (Hons) in Computer & Information Engineering from South Bank University, an MBA from the University of Bath School of Management, and an Honorary Doctorate (DBA) from Prowess University.
He is a Fellow of the MSME Institute of Management & Professional Studies and a member of the Chartered Institute of Directors (IoD) Nigeria.
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) says ongoing investments and regulatory interventions in the telecommunications sector are expected to address persistent quality of service challenges across the country.
NCC
In a statement signed by the Head of Public Affairs, Nnenna Ukoha, on Wednesday, the commission acknowledged public concerns over dropped calls, slow internet speeds, unstable data services and service disruptions affecting consumers.
The commission said telecommunications services had become central to work, education, business, access to essential services and social connectivity, adding that consumers deserved reliable services and value for money.
According to the NCC, improving quality of service has remained a major regulatory priority over the past two years.
It said the commission had intensified monitoring of Mobile Network Operators, Internet Service Providers and Tower Companies, while strengthening data-driven oversight and stakeholder engagement to address structural challenges affecting service delivery.
The commission disclosed that the sector was undergoing one of its largest network expansion and modernisation phases in recent years following a prolonged period of under-investment.
It said Mobile Network Operators invested more than N2.13 trillion in network infrastructure and upgrades in 2025, while Tower Companies invested an additional N373.8 billion.
According to the NCC, the investments supported the addition and upgrade of more than 2,800 telecommunications sites nationwide to improve network coverage and capacity.
The commission said interventions included deployment of additional 4G and 5G infrastructure, fibre backhaul expansion, targeted deployments in high-demand urban areas, expansion into underserved communities and equipment upgrades.
It added that operators had committed to adding or upgrading more than 12,000 sites in 2026, with nearly 3,000 already completed.
The NCC also said over 730 additional 5G sites had been deployed across 27 states in 2026.
The commission noted that 4G penetration rose from 45 per cent in January 2024 to 54 per cent currently, while national median download speeds improved from 16.5Mbps to 20Mbps within the same period.
It further said power availability at telecom towers improved from a national average of 99.3 per cent in January 2025 to 99.7 per cent.
According to the commission, spectrum reallocation among major operators and spectrum block rearrangements were also being implemented to improve network efficiency and service performance.
The NCC, however, acknowledged persistent external challenges affecting service quality, including vandalism, theft of telecom equipment, fibre cuts, power disruptions and access denial for maintenance.
It disclosed that more than 27,000 avoidable fibre-cut incidents linked mainly to road construction and vandalism were recorded in 2025.
The commission said it was collaborating with the Office of the National Security Adviser and other stakeholders to implement the Presidential Order on Critical National Information Infrastructure.
It added that operators had been mandated to notify consumers of major service outages promptly and restore services within specified timeframes.
The NCC said enforcement of the updated Quality of Service Regulations 2024 commenced in November 2025, including consumer compensation measures for poor service quality and additional investment obligations on Tower Companies.
It warned that regulatory action would continue against operators that fail to deliver measurable improvements.
The commission reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring affordable, reliable and high-quality telecommunications services for all Nigerians.
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