MTN Group has used Africa Day to reaffirm its commitment to unlocking the continent’s potential through digital infrastructure, skills development, and inclusive economic growth, positioning technology as a catalyst for Africa’s next phase of progress.
The pan-African digital operator, which serves over 250 million customers across 19 markets, marked the occasion with a reflection on its African identity and a restatement of its purpose: leading digital solutions for Africa’s progress.
“I am not African because I was born in Africa, but because Africa was born in me,” the company said, quoting Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s first prime minister. “At MTN, we celebrate Africa Day as a pan-African company both born on the continent and one that is inherently African.”
MTN employs 15,000 people representing 74 nationalities and ethnicities across its footprint. Of the 1,730 people who joined MTN and its subsidiaries in 2025, 87% were hired locally, underscoring the company’s emphasis on local employment and participation.
“Our Pan-African roots run deep, and today we are humbled and proud to acknowledge these,” said MTN Group President and CEO Ralph Mupita. “Our continent has enormous potential, and we are committed to helping unlock this through our networks and platforms.”
MTN’s three-decade history on the continent has been defined by sustained investment in people, technology, and infrastructure. In 2025 alone, the company generated R150 billion in economic value-added across Africa.
Its total tax contribution reached R61.1 billion, an amount exceeding the GDP of several small economies.
Capital expenditure for the year stood at R38.5 billion, directed toward expanding and modernising the physical and digital assets that underpin connectivity.
MTN said the investment is critical to developing durable national infrastructure and building digital backbones that support governments, businesses, and communities.
The company also highlighted the broader value created through dividends distributed to shareholders, including pension funds, across its markets. MTN maintains listings on the stock exchanges of Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, and Rwanda, which it described as key levers in its localisation and value-creation strategy.
As part of its corporate social investment program, MTN committed R269 million in 2025, reaching 2.3 million people, the majority of whom are youth.
The investments focused on education, skills development, entrepreneurship, and support for local businesses to ensure economic value remains within host economies.
“We believe in the power of technology to uplift communities, empowering the next generation of African leaders,” the company said.
“We embed local participation across employment, ownership, and procurement to ensure that growth is inclusive and sustainable.”
Mupita noted that MTN’s success is “irrevocably tied to the progress of the nations we serve,” adding that the company works to create jobs, develop local suppliers, build digital skills, and support essential services in education, healthcare, and infrastructure.
Looking ahead, MTN emphasized the role of Africa’s youth in shaping the continent’s future. With Africa projected to have the world’s largest workforce by 2040, the company said the demographic dividend presents an unprecedented opportunity if paired with intentional investment in education, skills, and entrepreneurship.
“Africa needs to chart and champion her own growth,” Mupita said. “It is up to us all to unlock Africa’s boundless potential.”
The company positioned digital technology as a key enabler of that transformation. By expanding access to financial services, education, healthcare, and markets, and equipping young innovators with tools to solve local challenges, MTN said technology can drive progress at scale.
“With sustained investment in digital infrastructure, digital skills, and trusted platforms, we can help build a continent that is more connected, more competitive, and full of possibility,” the statement read.
MTN concluded by inviting Africans across the continent to share what Africa means to them and to participate in Africa Day activities, including generating personalised commemorative images.
The message underscored a broader theme: that Africa’s future will be defined by collective action, unity, and shared purpose.
“When Africans act with greater unity, shared purpose, and collective resolve, we lay the foundation for the Africa we want: more inclusive, more resilient, and more prosperous.”
