MTN Nigeria Plc and its and the MTN Foundation have jointly committed to support the fight against Coronavirus pandemic affecting Nigeria and the global economy with donations worth billions of naira.
A statement by the company said its staff, management and Board of Directors of MTN Nigeria committed to doing all they can to help Nigerians stay connected and support efforts to contain the outbreak.
MTN said it has deployed the first phase of a broad set of investments in support of the national effort to contain Covid-19 including supporting federal and state governments with communication systems, analytical response management and risk profiling.
MTN is giving over N500 million worth of airtime, data and analytics, through the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) in support to state governments to facilitate communications during travel restrictions.
It is giving N1.4 billion worth of airtime, data and devices for connectivity support to frontline health agencies including NCDC; and connecting customers with essential health information by giving free data access to be used to access websites with validated information on COVID.
MTN said it will give 300 free SMS per month to all its subscribers, ensuring they can communicate with loved ones; partnering with Ayoba, a messaging OTT provider, to grant free daily data access to its subscribers; and offer free money transfers using the Momo Agent Network from Y’ello Digital Financial Services.
MTN said its partnership with the NCDC includes a channel enabling the distribution of health information to all its subscribers as needed, and free access for subscribers seeking information from the NCDC through their toll-free lines or on the NCDC and Federal Ministry of Health websites.
The company is also providing its over 200 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) on its network, 30 days grace on their March invoices. SME’s unable to pay March invoices will enjoy uninterrupted services through April.
This is aimed at mitigating the impact of the shutdowns on small businesses, which are the engine of Nigeria’s economy, adding that it will be further assessed as the situation evolves. Also, MTN Foundation said it will commit N500 million towards addressing emerging medical needs.
The MTN Nigeria chairman, Ernest Ndukwe said; “This first phase of support is targeted at the interventions that we are best positioned to deliver at this stage. As the situation evolves, we are fully committed to deepening and extending these commitments in order to provide all the support we can to the government, and to our people.
“It is only by working together, that we can overcome this challenge. I would like to take this opportunity to recognise the collaborative spirit with which all stakeholders are working to contain COVID-19. We all have a role to play in stemming the upheaval we have seen brought on by this pandemic globally.
“To protect each other, our families and keep the most vulnerable in our communities healthy we must all make it a priority to stay safe. Listen to health experts, be disciplined about personal hygiene and practice social distancing. Working together, we can change the course of this pandemic. And because ‘We are good together,’ we will get through this,”Ndukwe added.