MTN Group has reaffirmed its commitment to unlocking Africa’s potential through digital innovation, inclusion, and sustained investment across the continent, as it marked Africa Day with a powerful call for unity and shared progress.
MTN, a leading pan-African digital operator, says its mission is deeply rooted in the continent’s identity, history, and future ambitions, as it continues to connect communities, empower businesses, and expand digital access across 19 markets.
Quoting Ghana’s first prime minister and Pan-African icon, Kwame Nkrumah, “I am not African because I was born in Africa, but because Africa was born in me.” The company described Africa Day as a moment to reflect on shared identity and purpose.
MTN Group President and CEO Ralph Mupita said the company’s operations reflect its African identity and long-term commitment to development across the continent.
“Our Pan-African roots run deep, and today we are humbled and proud to acknowledge these. Our continent has enormous potential, and we are committed to helping unlock this through our networks and platforms,” he said.
MTN revealed that it currently serves a quarter of a billion customers across Africa, supported by a workforce of 15,000 employees representing 74 nationalities. It further noted that 87% of new hires in 2025 were local recruits from the countries in which it operates.
According to the group, its purpose remains “leading digital solutions for Africa’s progress”, with a strong belief that Africa’s youthful population presents a major opportunity for long-term transformation.
Mupita stressed that Africa’s demographic advantage must be harnessed through strategic investment in skills, education, and innovation.
“The unity of Africans is the strongest foundation off which to secure a prosperous future for Africa’s youth, who will represent the world’s largest workforce by 2040,” he said.
MTN also highlighted the scale of its economic impact across the continent, noting that in 2025 it generated approximately R150 billion in economic value added and contributed R61.1 billion in taxes—figures it says reflect its role in national development across multiple economies.
The telecoms giant further invested R38.5 billion in capital expenditure in 2025 to expand and strengthen digital infrastructure while distributing value to shareholders, including pension funds, across its listed markets in Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda and Rwanda.
As part of its corporate social investment efforts, MTN said it spent R269 million in 2025, impacting 2.3 million people, most of them young Africans.
Mupita explained that MTN’s strategy is built on localisation, skills development, and support for local businesses to ensure that economic value remains within the countries it serves.
“Our success is irrevocably tied to the progress of the nations we serve. Together, we create jobs, develop local suppliers, build digital skills and support essential services like education, healthcare and infrastructure,” he said.
Looking ahead, MTN said Africa’s future will depend on collective action and investment in human capital, particularly the continent’s youthful population.
The company emphasised that digital technology will be a key driver of Africa’s transformation by improving access to financial services, education, healthcare, and markets, while empowering young innovators to develop African solutions for African challenges.
With sustained investment in digital infrastructure and skills development, MTN says Africa can build a more connected, competitive, and resilient continent capable of shaping its own destiny in the global digital economy.
The company further invited Africans to share their stories and reflections on what the continent means to them, as part of its Africa Day engagement campaign.
