ICT industry review 2015: Company in focus – MTN Nigeria

BY ANDREW IDEMUDIAN

In 2015, ICT and telecoms operators in Nigeria adopted aggressive digitization and promotional strategies to improve infrastructure investments and data traffic, boost their capabilities, rationalise product and service offerings, improve customer experience, and evolve asset portfolios and business; and though the transition has not been smooth, key players in the space also had to develop new products and services to better meet the needs of their customers. 

In some cases, early initiatives have been scattershot but many companies have learned that they must take a more focused approach in determining which digital products and services to offer if they are to capture real opportunities in adjacent businesses and broader ICT ecosystems.

Nigeria’s leading ICT and telecommunications company, MTN Nigeria, was one of the companies in the ICT sector that was frequently in the spotlight during 2015.  The company engaged in ground breaking initiatives that defined the growth of the sector while being beneficial to customers and Nigerians in general. Howbeit, the imposed fine by the NCC on MTN was another talking point which defined the year in review.

Without any particular order, below are ten of MTN Nigeria’s initiatives and issue that made the company one of the most talked about brands in ICT sector in 2015.

MTN FOUNDATION’S 10TH ANNIVERSARY

One of the many ways through which MTN Nigeria shone brightly in 2015 was the impact it made, and has continued to make, through its CSR vehicle, MTN Foundation. Founded in 2005, the foundation positively impacts the lives of many Nigerians through its several activities and amazing works. Supported by MTN with 1% of its Profit after Tax annually, several life-changing initiatives have been deployed with project partners and state governments in 550 locations country-wide to improve the lives of ordinary Nigerians in Health, education, economic empowerment, arts, culture and entertainment.

Apart from consolidating on existing projects by widening the pool of beneficiaries through its scholarship program, the foundation has aided disability support projects, EYEris project, school furniture donations; dialysis and mammography machines donation across General Hospitals in the country, all of which have positively impacted thousands of lives. The Foundation also launched its ‘What Can We Do Together’ initiative where Nigerians were invited to participate in and partner with MTN to identify select areas of needs requiring attention and support by socially responsible organizations like MTN. As a result of this collaborative process, 200 communities have benefitted from boreholes, transformers, school furniture and donation of household items for orphanages. In 2015, the MTN Foundation invested over N18bn on social investment projects countrywide.

The MTN Foundation also distributed relief materials to three Internally Displaced Persons’ (IDP) camps in North East, Nigeria in 2015 to help complement government’s efforts at providing succor to the needy.

The relief materials, meant to help to restore hopes, were distributed to displaced persons in Government College, Maiduguri, Borno State; NYSC Camp, Yola, Adamawa State and Poponari Camp, Damaturu, Yobe State. The relief materials included mattresses, pillows, bed sheets, pillow cases, bathing soaps, disinfectants, cooking pots, kerosine stoves and cartons of noodles.

Other significant interventions of the foundation in the year were the sponsorship of two popular dance dramas – Kakadu and Wakaa, The Musicals. The sponsorships were targeted at promoting and enhancing creativity in the Nigerian performance guild. The energy, creativity and the world class quality of the performances over a five-day period generated rave reviews and a national buzz towards the end of the year.

Finally, as part of its continuous efforts at creating awareness on the importance of early detection of breast cancer among women, the foundation also sponsored series of events across  Nigerian cities in 2015 ranging from ‘Awareness Walks’ to polo tournaments.

MTN BEST 11 TRUTALK WIN A HOME PROMO

This promo generated a lot of buzz and excitement for MTN in 2015. The promo, which was tied to the number ‘11’, afforded 11 customers on its network to address a human need, shelter and own three bedroom houses worth N15m each (or cash equivalent). The houses were showcased by Lamudi Nigeria, through its vast array of developers. 24 people also won N11,000 cash every hour every day.

All that was needed was for MTN Trutalk customers who registered their special 11 family members and friends on Trutalk plan package to talk for at least three minutes daily to qualify for the daily draws. Other customers, who were not on the plan, had to make at least 6 minutes calls daily to any number to qualify for the draws. Data customers who consumed the daily 11 MB data also qualified for the daily draws.

MTN TECH+

The MTN Tech+ congregated an ecosystem that promoted cutting-edge technologies through education, enterprise and innovation in the African Market through exhibition. The exhibition had a consumer electronics show that provided a platform for companies to display and exhibit products with electrical components.  There was a place where new technology and new products merged and innovations converged.  It also gave manufacturers, concept generators, content developers and software/hardware companies a platform to showcase their product and services to a broader market. The theme of the conference was ‘Leadership in Digital Technology’.

As a major partner for the event, MTN used the event as a platform to present and demonstrate its digital services through high tech demos and workshops. It also launched an innovative payment system called MTN Token. This is a mobile phone service offering a single means of authentication for online services with high and comforting levels of assurance.

MTN PROJECT FAME 2015

One of the enduring and most impactful ways through which MTN has been transforming lives and empowering West African youths is the MTN Project Fame West Africa. For the past eight years, MTN Project Fame has been taking young talents off the streets and leading them to fame, stardom and economic empowerment. MTN Project Fame has been able to actualize the quest for youths to become the best they can be. It has made them decide what they want from life, through music and then, doing what is necessary to get what they want, through its academy. Many of them have moved on to establish profitable businesses and create jobs and employment for others. Some of the most commercially successful musicians in Nigeria today are alumni of the Project Fame Academy.

The 2015 edition saw an 18-year-old Jeffrey Akoh winning the music empowerment competition, smiling home with a N5 million cash prize, one-year recording contract and a SUV.

Obviously, MTN Project Fame has carved a niche for itself, through music by inculcating the ‘can do spirit’ in the lives of Nigerian youths to achieve their musical dream, irrespective of where they come from.

SPONSORSHIP OF RELIGIOUS CUSTOMERS 

MTN Nigeria made huge impacts in the lives of its Christian subscribers as it sponsored over 20 customers for an all-expense paid trip to Jerusalem for the year’s pilgrimage. The Muslim customers were not left out; 20 Muslim customers were also sponsored in an all-expense paid trip to Mecca and to fulfil some of their religious hajj obligations. MTN has been sponsoring its Muslim and Christian customers since 2008 and 2014 respectively.

The sponsorship of the trip is seen as a reward for their dedication to digital Value Added Services like the daily devotionals, Islamic/Christian quotes, sermons, Islamic/Christian songs, prayers, Islamic/Christian callertunez and other spiritually uplifting and faith enriching contents subscribed to.

MTN PRESTIGE LAUNCH

With the MTN Prestige, the company celebrated its High Value (HV) customers, 100 CEOs and captains of industry to a night of alternative music at a prestigious musical event’. The platform provided an opportunity to engage, endear and excite its HV customers in order to build a stronger brand connection with them.  The high point of this event was the launch of the MTN Prestige loyalty and reward programme for its HV customers where customers will get to enjoy a wide range of cost optimization, lifestyle and business benefits among others.

MTN GOLF 

For many years, MTN has sponsored the annual World Golfers Championship (WGC) and other golfing competitions. These tournaments have proven to be viable and reliable platforms for customer engagement and interactivity with MTN high-value customers and equally reinforced its role as an enabler of socio-economic development across several fronts in Nigeria. The MTN Golf Championship featured captains of industries, technocrats and administrators such as Uyi Akpata, Senior Country Manager, PWC; Kate Iketubosin, Managing Director, Stern & Kay Consulting Limited; Obinnia Abajue, Executive Director, PBB, Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc and Demola Mumuney, former captain of the Ikoyi Club Golf section, among many other distinguished personalities. Golfers and enthusiasts of the sport were treated to an impressive and exciting tournament this year.

MTN MUSIC ANNIVERSARY

The MTN Music+ anniversary was an innovative engagement platform called the ‘Noiseless party’ put together to celebrate artists and music lovers, while celebrating its success story since the past eighteen months. This was the first of its kind in Nigeria and the event received several rave reviews and positive comments on blog sites and social media platforms.

MTN Music +, launched in June 2014, as a converged Music streaming and download service, optimized for web, mobile web and Mobile App (currently iOS and Android). Through this platform, many Nigerian artistes are now smiling to the banks and getting the deserved royalties for their creative dexterities, as they now use the platform to monetize their songs.

MTN POLO

The MTN Polo 2015 was another talking point for the telecoms leader. The event converged lovers of polo. MTN’s involvement in the promotion of Polo and other sports in the country made the Nigerian Polo Federation (NPF) President, Francis Ogboro, to shower encomium on MTN. He stated that, MTN provided a platform for youths and other sports enthusiasts to direct their energy to gainful activities.

Through its charity gesture, the MTN UNICEF Charity Shield international polo tournament made a N5 million donation to UNICEF with respect to its campaign against HIV/AIDS pandemic among Nigerian children.

The cheque presentation was witnessed by the Kaduna State Deputy Governor, Barnabas Bala.

NCC FINE ON MTN

The imposed N1.04 trillion ($5.2 billion) fine on MTN by the Nigerian Communications Commission over its failure to disconnect unregistered SIM cards was another talking point in the country. The company, which has been the industry leader and bellwether, suffered the sanction for failing to wipe out or disconnect 5.1 million unregistered lines from its network. NCC had in August instructed the telecoms industry to deactivate all unregistered SIM.

Meanwhile, MTN has filed a suit at the Federal High Court Lagos, challenging the sanction. The case had not been decided as at December 2015.