MTN wins SERA CSR award

By  Prince Osuagwu

MTN, Nigeria, last week, heightened its corporate socially responsible status in Nigeria as it clinched six of the top awards at the third edition of the annual Social Enterprise Reports Awards (SERA) held in Lagos recently.

The awards, which included various segments of the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs), are the Best Company in Poverty Reduction (MDG1), Best Company in Gender Equality (MDG3), Best Company in Partnership for Development (MDG8) and Most Socially Responsible Company in the Telecommunications Sector.

Nonny Nduka-Eze, Executive Secretary, of the MTN Foundation (MTNF), corporate social responsibility vehicle of MTN was on hand to receive the awards which included a certificate of commendation as overall winner endorsed by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).

L-R, Nonny Nduka-Eze, Executive Secretary, MTN Foundation, receiving the plaque for the Best Company in Gender Equality in Nigeria on behalf of MTN from Jumoke Simplice, Head Channel management, Federal Inland Revenue Service, at the Social Enterprise Report and Awards (SERA) 2009 in Lagos ...recently.

Receiving the awards, Nduka-Eze noted that the establishment of MTN Foundation is a demonstration of MTN’s commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility. She added that from inception till date the Foundation’s projects were envisioned to make a positive impact in the areas of health, economic empowerment and education.  According to her, “MTNF has 160 projects sites in 33 states in the six geo-political zones of the country”.

Also, an excited MTN Corporate Services Executive, Mr Wale Goodluck, said “It is our subscribers who are making CSR happen. MTN Foundation is the vehicle but it is every activity on the network that is funding our CSR. For every phone call, the customer has put food on the tables of orphanages, built computer labs in schools, made scholarships available, and saved the life of a child. It is also a good feeling for our customers to know that they are contributing to the development of the Nigerian nation”.

Ken Egbas, Co-ordinator, SERA, said that SERA is about celebrating good corporate citizenship, celebrating people, good living and sustainable environment for all.
He posited that in the immediate future, successful brands or businesses will be in the vanguard of empowering community and members of the community to succeed so that their brands can be more successful.