MTN Ghana Foundation has launched its 10th anniversary to celebrate a decade of transforming and improving the wellbeing of communities across the country.
MTN Ghana Foundation has used the occasion to promise to deepen its social investments in the communities in which the MTN network operates.
The foundation over the years invested and embarked on various social responsibility initiatives in education, health and entrepreneurship.
Over the 10-year period, the foundation has invested $13 million in building school blocks, libraries and ICT centres, enhancing teaching capabilities, constructing and equipping hospital wards, giving scholarships to needy students, and supporting entrepreneurs.
Speaking at a media launch of the anniversary, which is on the theme ‘Celebrating Ten years of Brightening lives, inspiring a brighter future’, Professor Franklin Manu, Board Chair, MTN Ghana Foundation, said they were proud of its achievements and accomplishments over the period: “Educating people with the schools we have put up, improving digital prospects by providing ICT centres and making business expansion possible with our economic empowerment initiatives.”
Through the intervention of the foundation, he said, more people in rural and urban communities have access to improved healthcare while thousands of expectant mothers now deliver in comfortable hospitals that the foundation has refurbished or constructed like the newly built maternity unit of the Tema General Hospital.
“The interventions have saved many lives in remote and urban communities in Ghana. The brand is not only about our expertise in delivering a connected society, but also about good corporate citizenship.”
The MTN Group mandates the contribution of 1 per cent of its profits after tax to social responsibility initiatives; in Ghana, the fund is managed by the foundation.
So far, 1,000 students have benefitted from the foundation’s scholarship scheme, which by large contributes to the human capital development of Ghana.
Its flagship project, ‘MTN Heroes of Change’, which was launched in 2013, has been a train for giving a voice to the voiceless and has helped in recognising some wonderful people who were impacting their communities in their own small way.
Prof Manu said the ‘Save a life campaign’, which organises the annual blood donation exercise, was introduced by the foundation to help address the perennial blood shortage at the National Blood Bank and other regional hospitals. The campaign had since collected over 6,000 pints of blood.
He congratulated the staff of MTN for their volunteering spirit over the years, and added that he expects the foundation to continue to provide leadership in the various communities and to ensure that the impact is felt in all spheres of life.
Healthcare
Through the interventions of the MTN Ghana Foundation, more people in rural Ghana as well as urban communities now have access to improved healthcare.
In the same vein, thousands of expectant mothers now deliver in comfortable hospitals that the foundation has refurbished or constructed.
Prof Manu was quick to add: “The newly constructed maternity unit of the Tema General hospital which we will be opening soon is a classic example. These interventions have saved many lives in remote and urban communities in Ghana – all of this made possible from funds generated from a network we consistently strive to enhance and expand”.
We have not just invested financial resources, we have also invested quality time and made a lot of sacrifices to make lives better. Our “Save a life campaign” which organizes the annual blood donation exercise was introduced to help address the perennial blood shortage at the National Blood Bank and other regional hospitals. The campaign has since then, collected over 6,000 pints of blood, Prof Manu emphasised.
Scholarships
He noted that; ” nothing is more rewarding than seeing how our investments are transforming the lives of people, through our support in health care and education. We are also proud of the 100 people who have benefitted from our scholarship scheme.
Through that scheme we have contributed to the human capital development in this country. I am pleased to be associated with an organization that makes a meaningful difference in the lives of our communities”.
Heroes of Change
“Through the work of the foundation we have also given a Voice to the Voiceless. The Foundation’s flagship project, MTN Heroes of Change, which was launched in 2013 encourages altruism in our communities.
As a result of this initiative, some wonderful people have been recognized including a Medical Doctor, a nurse, a teacher with hearing and speech impairment and several other people”.
As most of you are aware by now, the MTN brand is not only about our expertise in delivering a connected society, it is also about good corporate citizenship, according to him.
The MTN Group mandated the contribution of 1% of its profits after tax to social responsibility initiatives, and in Ghana, these funds are managed by the MTN Foundation which has its own independent Board of Directors and a Secretariat.
” Much of the Foundation’s success is largely attributable to the efforts and expert guidance of my fellow board members and as Board Chair I appreciate their contributions. I applaud them for 10 years of dedicated service to our communities. I also applaud the MTN Ghana Foundation team and our staff volunteers”, Prof Manu noted.
Activities marking the anniversary
The five-month long celebrations of the anniversary began two weeks ago with the launch on the 16th of October 2017.
The anniversary which is on the theme ‘Celebrating Ten years of Brightening lives, inspiring a brighter future,’ started on the 16th October 2017 and will end on March 2018.
-PROSPER AGBENYEGA