Telecom
MTN Nigeria Empowers Youth through Vocational Workshop
MTN Nigeria Communications Plc in partnership with Huawei Technologies Company Nigeria Limited, organized a vocational workshop on Thursday, 4th August 2022, for Lagos residents, which was held at the Surulere Vocational Center.
L-R; Executive Secretary, MTN Foundation, Odunayo Sanya; Director of monitoring and investigation, Lagos State Agency for Mass Education, Mustapha Ibrahim; Chief Corporate Services Officer, MTN Nigeria, Tobechukwu Okigbo; Student at Surulere vocational center, Dorcas Omoshola and HOD Vocational Director, Lagos State Agency for Mass Education, Ayodele Salu during the visit by MTN staff to the Surulere vocational centre on Thursday, August 4, 2022 as part of 2022 Y’ello Care
The workshop tagged, “Business Registration in Nigeria” was to equip the students at the vocational centre with the knowledge needed to build a brand, register their business, and gain insight on the importance of doing so.
The workshop, which was part of the activities for the 2022 Y’ello Care campaign, brought together youths looking to advance their knowledge on business registration and tax payment.
Theresa Chikwendu, senior manager, Corporate Transactions, MTN Nigeria, shared her wealth of knowledge on the importance of registering a business. Participants were able to gain career insights through coaching, and business action plans for success, which will enable them to outperform expectations continuously.
Tobechukwu Okigbo, chief corporate services Officer, MTN Nigeria, expatiated on the importance of abiding by the law by ensuring payment of taxes by a business. He also expressed his pleasure at having a 90% female audience in attendance saying, “When you empower a woman, you empower a community.”
Also speaking at the workshop, Odunayo Sanya, executive secretary, MTN Foundation, said, “we believe for our business to do well, our people in the community must do well. As contributors to society, we stand to equip and empower people, and oftentimes, we do not do this alone, we collaborate and partner with like-minded organizations like Huawei who is also present today”
Ayodele Salu, HOD Vocational Director, Lagos State Agency for Mass Education, while appreciating MTN’s effort at the Surulere Vocational Centre, said, “Today MTN did not just come to teach us, but they also provided training equipment for students. We grateful for MTN’s continued support and we look forward to a stronger partnership”.
This year’s Y’ello Care theme tagged, “Empowering Communities to Drive Economic Recovery”, seeks to inspire MTN employees to rise to the challenge of upskilling local communities through digital skills training, to boost economic activity and involvement. Some projects MTN Nigeria executed this year through the Y’ello Care initiative include; financial education and empowerment programs for women and youth across Nigeria on MoMo PSB, employability skills training and graphics design masterclass, and a hackathon event for youths across Nigeria. In partnership with Huawei, MTN also organized digital and vocational skills training for women and youths.
MTN is committed to adding economic value by contributing to society through its programs focused on education, digital skills, and training. By organizing this workshop, the company strives to ensure it continues to strengthen and uplift community members in their pursuit of economic development.
MTN Nigeria is accelerating investments in network expansion and modernization to address rising demand for mobile and data services across the country.
The operator is deploying additional base stations, upgrading existing infrastructure, and expanding fiber connectivity to improve network capacity, coverage, and service quality.
The investments are designed to support increasing smartphone adoption, higher data consumption, and the growing use of digital services by consumers and businesses.
MTN said the expansion aligns with its long-term strategy to enhance customer experience while strengthening Nigeria’s digital infrastructure.
The company expects the ongoing upgrades to improve connectivity, support economic growth, and enable broader access to reliable telecommunications services as demand for high-speed broadband continues to increase.
Airtel Africa’s CEO, Sunil Taldar, has announced the telco’s commitment to connecting 5,000 schools across its operating countries in Africa to the internet by 2027 through its philanthropic arm, Airtel Africa Foundation, in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
So far, the $57m partnership, which was launched in 2021, has cumulatively connected 3,296 schools and provided access to over 2 million learners and about 40,000 teachers. 64 digital learning platforms have been zero-rated thereby enabling more than 11m users to access educational content at no cost.
Speaking during a visit to St. Monica’s Girls School in Lusaka, which is one of the 300 schools already connected to the internet in Zambia, the Airtel Africa CEO stated that the initiative is having a profound impact on the quality of education by expanding access to digital learning resources for African children, in collaboration with governments.
Mr Taldar added: “Students are accessing best-in-class education from the curriculum developed by UNICEF in partnership with various Ministries of Education and provided through Airtel’s connectivity.
“We are also training teachers, so that they deliver digital education effectively. We aim to continue deepening meaningful connectivity in schools by providing free internet access, zero‑rated platforms and training teachers across the continent”.
Expressing her appreciation, the Headmistress of St. Monica’s Girls’ School, Sr Matilda Soloko said: “Being among the first schools connected in the initial stage, our learners have been able to study using the learning portal and their studies have been intensified. We remain grateful to Airtel and UNICEF.”
UNICEF’s Country Representative for Zambia, Dr Saja Farooq Abdullah said: “What this partnership has brought is really bridging the equality gap and the digital divide. It is making sure that every child learns wherever they are. It was exciting and interesting to see and hear from the girls how they can learn at their own pace, how they can review the materials, and how they do their homework with comfort.
The Director of Secondary Education in Zambia’s Ministry of Education, Yvonne Mwemba Chuulu lauded UNICEF and Airtel for the partnership saying: “At the Ministry of Education, we cannot do it alone, and we are grateful for the partnership that we have today.
“Our children are able to learn in a blended fashion, where we have a teacher who is also employing digital devices. We have also heard from the learners that they are able to access the portal when they are at home, which is a good thing because our learners continue to learn in the comfort of their homes”.
The School Connection programme is expanding digital learning to learners in 13 countries: Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. By equipping these schools with internet connectivity and training teachers on using the digital tools, it is providing children, particularly in underserved and remote regions, with the digital tools and skills they need to thrive.
Airtel Africa Foundation is advancing inclusive development across four strategic pillars, Financial Inclusion, Education, Environmental Sustainability and Digital Inclusion.
MultiChoice has officially become a wholly owned subsidiary of French media company Canal+, marking the completion of one of the largest acquisitions in Africa’s media and entertainment industry.
The integration brings the South Africa-based pay television operator under the full ownership of Canal+, a global media group with operations in 70 countries.
Announcing the completion of the transaction on Thursday, Chief Executive Officer of Canal+ Africa and MultiChoice, David Mignot, described the development as the beginning of a new phase of growth for the broadcaster.
“MultiChoice is now a full subsidiary of a truly international media group operating in 70 countries.
“The group was founded in France, is listed in London and Johannesburg, and has a strong African presence with operations in more than 45 countries,” Mignot said.
The acquisition combines Canal+’s international operations with MultiChoice’s extensive footprint across sub-Saharan Africa, where it serves millions of households through its DStv and GOtv platforms, as well as the Showmax streaming service.
According to Canal+, the integration will strengthen MultiChoice’s competitive position by giving it access to broader financial resources, technology, content partnerships and operational expertise.
The company said the combined business would increase investment in local content production, sports broadcasting and streaming services as competition intensifies from global platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+.
The transaction is also expected to provide MultiChoice with greater access to international markets at a time when traditional pay television operators are adapting to changing consumer viewing habits and the rapid growth of digital streaming platforms.
Canal+ has expanded steadily across Africa over the past decade and now assumes full control of a business operating in more than 45 African countries, further strengthening its position in the continent’s media and entertainment sector.
The acquisition followed Canal+’s gradual increase in its shareholding in MultiChoice, which began in 2024.
After exceeding the regulatory threshold, the company launched a mandatory offer in April 2024 to acquire the remaining shares of the Johannesburg-listed broadcaster.
Following regulatory approvals and shareholder acceptance, Canal+ secured control of MultiChoice in 2025 before completing the process that has now made the company a wholly owned subsidiary.
Industry observers describe the acquisition as one of the most significant media transactions involving an African company, reflecting a broader trend of consolidation as global entertainment firms seek greater scale to compete in the streaming era.
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