MTN Group, the leading network operator in Africa and Huawei have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen their strategic cooperation in environmental, social and governance matters. The signing took place during this year’s Mobile World Congress (MWC 2023) in Barcelona. According to MTN Group’s Chief Sustainability and Corporate Affairs Officer, Nompilo Morafo, the MoU is in line with MTN’s Ambition 2025 strategy and Huawei’s Corporate Sustainability Development strategy, including its TECH4ALL initiative. “Collaboration with companies like Huawei is essential to achieving digital solutions for Africa’s progress”, she emphasized.
The Member of Huawei’s Supervisory Board and President of the Carrier BG, Li Peng, stated that Huawei expects to work closely with MTN Group on rural coverage, reaching net zero, and digital skills training. “We believe that digital technology will become an important force driving social development and making the world more inclusive and sustainable”, he noted.
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The partnership agreement seeks to accelerate efforts to reach more rural and remote communities and broaden the portfolio of available digital skills training. With a significant portion of Africa’s population living in rural areas, MTN is committed to expanding its network to under-served communities and reaching a target of 95% rural broadband coverage by 2025.
MTN and Huawei are collaborating on deploying RuralStar, an affordable connectivity solution for providing online access to remote and rural communities. In terms of reducing carbon emissions, Huawei will support MTN’s commitment to minimize the impact on the planet and achieve net zero by 2040. The partners will work on decarbonising MTN’s telecommunications infrastructure.