MTNF claims impact investment, key to uplifting communities

By Favour Okon

20 July 2022   |   2:41 am

MTN Foundation Executive Secretary, Odunayo Sanya, has said that the foundation is committed to solving problems and creating sustainable value in communities where MTN operates.

  

She revealed this during a panel discussion at the Africa Social Impact Summit held in Abuja.

 

At the summit, Odunayo joined other experts such as Chief Economist, Development Bank of Nigeria, Joseph Nnanna; Senior Programme Officer, Ford Foundation, Dabesaki Mac-Ikemenjima and Vice President, Corporate & Government Relations and Stakeholder Management, Olam Nigeria, Ade Adefeko, to speak on the theme, ‘Impact Investment, Funding, Measuring our Comms and Scaling Impact.’

  

Speaking on MTN Foundation’s model for community investment, Sanya said, “At the Foundation, our focus is on two key areas: Youth Development and National Priority because we believe that we should be able to deliver on national priorities. Under youth development, we drive education and capacity building. We take students through scholarship schemes and equip them through collaborations with tech ecosystem partners. By the time they get into the labour market, they are able to land jobs or even create their own businesses.

  

“We are interested in equipping people and providing access to healthcare. We partner with institutions to take medical services to far-flung communities. For us, it is about solving problems in a structured manner.”

  

Speaking on the state’s efforts in improving the health and education sectors during the summit, the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, revealed that the state was committed to providing access to quality healthcare and education for all.

He said, “Year on year since 2020, we have had to increase our budgetary allocation for health and education, and it is deliberate. On education, we realise that we need to have a government that ensures that access to quality education is available to all. On health, we have not only increased the number of staff and have recruited over 3000 new health practitioners and increased our infrastructure. We are renovating 15 General hospitals and building capacity in all our facilities.”