MTN Says Y’ello Care 2015 Will Impact Digital Education in Nigeria

MTN, Nigeria’s telecommunications company, has commenced its annual staff volunteerism programme tagged 21 Days of Y’ello Care 2015.

This year Y’ello Care, the telecoms giant with about 61 million subscribers base in Nigeria said, will focus still on digital education with the theme: “Investing in Education for All”.

Initiated by the MTN Group in 2007, the annual programme encourages MTN staff across its 22 operations in Africa, Asia and the Middle East to volunteer their resources, time and skills to help others and the communities where they live and work.

The event, it was gathered, will have staff of MTN Nigeria engaging in a number of activities aimed at promoting an ideal learning environment as well as draw attention to the fundamental role of education in the development of the nation.

Speaking at the commencement of the three-week long progamme at MTN corporate head office in Lagos, on Monday, Mr. Michael Ikpoki, the CEO, said “This initiative is yet another way that we demonstrate our commitment as an organization to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Over the next 21 days, we will show this through various community building activities which our employees will engage in; activities which underscore our recognition of the support of various communities in which we operate and our commitment to improving and transforming these same communities”.

Ikopki explained that the focus on education over the past four years is driven by MTN’s continuing commitment to deliver lasting impact in all that they do.

“We consider it important to increase and consolidate on our efforts to contribute to our nation’s educational sector, especially in the application of digital learning,” the MTN Nigeria CEO said.

Essentially, as limited access to quality education continues to plague Africa’s growth and development, the role of digital learning in the ICT era has become more compelling, as digital learning brings to the table, immediate, diverse and customized access to world-class education and beyond that, a multiplicity of opportunities for advancement.

Therefore, MTN staff are once again presented with a unique platform over the next 21 days, to contribute to this kindof impact while also leading the delivery of a bold, new digital world to its customers.

Nodding in agreement, Mr. Akinwale Goodluck, MTN Nigeria’s corporate services executive, re-emphasized the Company’s commitment to giving back to communities in which it operates, adding that the six (6) geopolitical zones shall be represented in the choice of locations to carry out the programmes.  

Goodluck, therefore, described education as a means to sustain its corporate social responsibility service and a vital tool for social and economic development.

He said, “The weeks ahead are filled with various initiatives that will enable MTN, through the 21 Days of Yello Care programme, continue to contribute its quota towards improving educational standards in Nigeria, especially in supporting the new administration’s educational agenda.

He said that featuring among projects lined up for implementation is the company’s Investing in Education for All, include establishing digital learning facilities in libraries of 12 schools in the six MTN locations nationwide; book reading sessions; train-the-teacher project; Y’ello tutor project; environmental beautification project and fund-raising (Y’ello Aid) campaign.

During Y’ello Care 2014, MTN employees in Nigeria established 21 digitally equipped classrooms and visited and donated educational material to 109 primary, secondary and vocational schools across the country.

They also raised nearly 2 million Naira (over $12 000) to support the Chibok Scholarship for Girls, designed to move affected school girls from Chibok, where over 200 school girls were abducted by insurgents, to schools in other states.

Goodluck said they hope to surpass the achievements recorded during the 2014 programmes.