Education Minister lauds MTN Foundation’s Digital Libraries in tertiary institutions

MTN set to kick-off its FIFA 2010 World Cup Sponsorship Campaign


In a bid to reinforce the stature of the MTN brand as truly international, the telecommunications giant has expanded the frontiers of its strategy to enrich the lives of its customers by making history as the first brand of African origin to sponsor a FIFA World Cup, the very first to be played on the African soil.
In what could be described as a dress rehearsal, MTN Nigeria will on Saturday 25 July, formally kick off the 2010 World Cup count-down campaign with a ‘Big Bang’ launch. The epoch-making event will hold at the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos, with the high-point being a Veteran’s match – a novelty football match featuring African football legends like Roger Milla, Abedi Pele, Anthony Yeboah, Kalusha Bwalya, Mark Fish and others. They would be playing against the first-ever Nigerian team that qualified for the World cup - The USA ‘94 team.
According to the Chief Marketing Officer of MTN Nigeria, Mr. Bola Akingbade, MTN is determined to enrich the lives of its customers by connecting them with their passion for international football experience in ways unique to the MTN brand. “This is an experience we can no longer wait for; one that should strengthen our competitive position and leave a legacy of quality sponsorship as we demonstrate to the world that the African continent is ready and capable of hosting events of this magnitude.”
He emphasized that from the previous sponsorship testimonies particularly the recent 26th African Cup of Nations held in Ghana, MTN’s involvement in football is more than just sponsorship. “It is a statement of pride and an expression of belief in the African Continent and what it can achieve. This commitment to football and to the development of the African continent through mobile telephony underlines MTN’s planned actions to host the world,” he said.
MTN’s commitment to football in Africa has been absolute going by its exemplary partnership with the Confederation of African Football over the years. Commending this relationship, Akingbade posited that: “In sponsoring the MTN Champions’ League and the MTN African Cup of Nations, MTN chose to associate with African football at a time when the game on the African continent had few backers. For African football, MTN’s support has been momentous and we look forward to continuing in that trend as we promote the 2010 FIFA World Cup.”

Goodluck Tasks MTNF Music Scholars

Director, MTN Foundation, Mr. Wale Goodluck has charged the second set of graduates of the prestigious MUSON School of Music to be good ambassadors of the institution. The graduates are the second set of beneficiaries of the MTN Foundation’s music scholarship programme at the MUSON School of Music.

The scholars, numbering 24, bagged music diplomas in various aspects of Music at the ceremony held on 2nd July, 2009 at the Agip Recital Hall, MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos. The MTNF-MUSON Music Scholarship programme was instituted to provide students with a flair for music the opportunity to acquire qualitative music education leading to the MUSON Diploma in Music

Congratulating the music graduates, Goodluck advised them to keep up the brilliance shown in their examinations and “be good ambassadors of this great music institution everywhere they go.”
His words: “We are happy to witness another milestone in the implementation of this programme. We congratulate the scholars on the successful completion of their courses and thank them for making us proud.”
The Chairman of MUSON Board of Trustees, Chief Femi Adeniyi-Williams described the new graduands as a group of highly dedicated scholars who made the school proud through their performance in the examinations.

“The practical arm of the final Associated Board of Royal School of Music (ABRSM) exams was done in Ghana and I am proud to say that our students all made Grade - 8 distinctions, which is the highest mark in the exams,” said Chief Adeniyi-Williams. He thanked the MTN Foundation for giving the students the opportunity to prove their worth by providing sponsorship for them. He also lauded the Foundation for increasing the intake of students for the new session. He urged other corporate bodies to emulate the Foundation.

The first set of students who graduated in 2008 are now music professionals already making their marks in their chosen areas of specialization. While some of them have secured immediate employment others have gained admission into prestigious higher institutions across the world, such as the University of Dayton, America and the University of Cape Town, South Africa to further their studies in Music.
In July 2008, the first set made up of 21 students graduated with music diplomas. With the graduation of the second set of beneficiaries, a total number of 45 students have so far benefitted from the programme, out of the 220 who will be trained by the Foundation in a five year period. This represents 4 sets of students.

One of the beneficiaries of the MTN Foundation scholarship, Adinnu Stanley who won the MTNF overall Best Student Award thanked MTN for offering him a platform to further his education and make an impact in life. Stanley plans to register for a Sandwich programme in Music at the Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education, Ijanikin and to obtain a B. Sc and Master degrees in Music Education.

The MTNF-MUSON Music Scholars programme is an initiative under the Education portfolio of the MTN Foundation. Other major initiatives of the portfolio include the MTNF SchoolsConnect project, which is helping to bridge the digital divide by providing secondary schools with fully equipped digital laboratories, and UniversitiesConnect project which is providing digital libraries for higher institutions across the country.
MTNF’s SchoolsConnect Initiative, which is in partnership with SchoolNet Nigeria, has touched the lives of over 100,000 students and 5,000 teachers in 49 schools across 12 states including the FCT.
The MTNF UniversitiesConnect project, in partnership with NetLibrary Nigeria, has been implemented in UNILAG, Akoka, Lagos; ABU, Zaria, Kaduna & UNN, Nsukka, Enugu with the University of Benin, to benefit in 2009. Under a project tagged MTNF Learning Support Materials Initiative, which was flagged off over 3 years ago, MTNF donated 44,808 exercise books, 7,316 school bags and 11,620 toys to 189 primary and secondary schools nationwide in 2008 alone. In addition, 6,000 pupils and 600 teachers in selected schools in the six geo-political zones of the country will benefit from the MTNF Learning Facility Supply Project, an intervention where the Foundation provides modern desks and benches, and tables and chairs to needy schools.
Hundreds of other schools in the six geo-political zones of the country have already begun to receive small and big branded exercise books, school bags, and rain coats since the beginning of the year.
Other portfolios of the Foundation include health and economic empowerment.


All Set for 2009 MTN World Golfers Championship

Innovation, executive networking and more. These are some of the bonuses golfers can look forward to at the 2009 MTN World Golfers Championship regional qualifiers, which holds in Kaduna, Benin and Lagos between July and August.

According to MTN’s Chief Marketing Officer, Mr. Bola Akingbade, through the WGC, “MTN Nigeria will once again reaffirm its corporate social values of leadership, innovation and relationship. We will not only create experiential opportunities for our customers, we are also intent on building a lasting legacy of support, partnership and exciting golfing experience in Nigeria.”

In a sneak preview at what to expect during the tournament, Akingbade said there will be launches of new innovative products and services which are designed to meet the needs and desires of high value customers. The products include MTN Eye, MTN One World Phase II, MTN Back up, Google SMS from MTN, MTN Sim Plus and MTN Video Cam.

Several eminent Nigerians with strong passion for the game who are expected to participate in this year’s championship include, Senate President David Mark, Chief Tom Ikimi, His Royal Majesty, Amanyanabo Alfred Diette-Spiff, Professor Sylvanus Cookey, General I.B.M. Haruna, Malam Adamu Ciroma and General John Shagaya among other top dignitaries.

The WGC is an annual tournament that starts from the players home country as a national championship which is divided into five handicap flights, each played differently. Five winners, one from each flight, represent their country as a team, as well as individually within their flight.

After the regional qualifiers, the national finals will be held in Abuja in mid August. The winning team will represent the nation at the finals of the WGC grand finale coming up in Marbella, Spain later in the year.

Since the debut of the WGC in Nigeria in 2005, it has not only ignited the passion of golfers in and around the country, it has also attracted global attention under the sponsorship of MTN Nigeria.





World Cup Hopefuls Warm Up For Next Round




August 20, 2009

World Cup hopefuls Kenya will warm-up for their crucial September 6 qualification meeting with Mozambique when they tackle Bahrain and Iran in a three-team tournament next week.

The Harambee Stars will take on Bahrain in Manama on August 26, before playing Iran two days later at the same venue.

Coach Antoine Hey insists his four professional players in the squad, Musa Otieno, Taiwo Atieno, John Njoroge and goalkeeper Willis Ochieng, will make the Bahrain trip.

“We have decided to include Finland-based Willis Ochieng’ in the forthcoming friendlies and also recall Sofapaka’s John Baraza, who has impressed by scoring in almost all the premier league matches, as we try to strengthen the attacking department,” Hey said.

After the Middle East adventure, the squad will camp in Johannesburg, South Africa for a week, training on an artificial surface similar to the one they will play on when they meet Mozambique in Maputo.

Kenya’s chances of reaching the World Cup in South Africa may look slim with powerhouses Nigeria and Tunisia forging ahead in the group, but they will at the very least be hoping to finish third and claim a place at the Nations Cup in Angola in January.

Kenya have only been to one Nations Cup finals (2004) in the past 17 years and they currently lead Mozambique by two points. A win in Maputo next month would all-but ensure their ticket to Angola.

Click here for the full match schedule for the next round of World Cup Qualifiers....




Matches & Results For Phase 3

The group winners of this phase qualify for the World Cup finals in South Africa while the top three finishers will participate in the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations to be held in Angola. Click here for a full list of the Groups & Teams.


The FIFA Confederations Cup is an international tournament that, from 2005 onwards, is held every four years. It is contested by the winners of each of the six FIFA confederation championships (CAF, CONMEBOL, UEFA, AFC, OFC, CONCACAF) along with the World Cup winners and the host country, bringing the number of participants to eight. The tournament first took place in Saudi Arabia in 1992 and was known as the King Fahd Cup.

Read more about the history of the FIFA Confederations Cup...


FIFA Confederations Cup

The FIFA Confederations Cup is an international tournament that, from 2005 onwards, is held every four years.

It is contested by the winners of each of the six FIFA confederation championships (CAF, CONMEBOL, UEFA, AFC, OFC, CONCACAF) along with the World Cup winners and the host country, bringing the number of participants to eight.

The tournament first took place in Saudi Arabia in 1992 and was known as the King Fahd Cup.

It was a tournament organised and hosted by the Saudi’s that saw their national team participate with some of the continental champions.

In 1997, FIFA took over the organisation of the competition, renamed it the FIFA Confederations Cup and decided to stage the tournament every two years.

From 2005 they decided to hold the Confederations Cup every four years in the host country of the forthcoming World Cup.

It is generally considered a dress rehearsal for the World Cup it precedes.

Tournament Hosts and Winners
Year Host Winners
2005

Germany

Brazil
2003

France

France
2001

South Korea/Japan

France
1999

Mexico

Mexico
1997

Saudi Arabia

Brazil
1995

Saudi Arabia

Denmark
1992

Saudi Arabia

Argentina

All-Time Tournament Top Scorers
Goals Player Country

9
Cuauhtemoc Blanco

Mexico

9
Ronaldinho

Brazil

7
Romario

Brazil

7
Adriano

Brazil

6
Marzouq Al-Otaibi

Saudi Arabia



Cuauhtemoc Blanco
Cuauhtemoc Blanco of Mexico is the leading goalscorer with 9 goals in the Confederations Cup



The MTN Nigeria Foundation Limited by Guarantee (MTNF Ltd/Gte) was established, by MTN Nigeria Communications Limited, in July 2004 to drive MTN Nigeria Corporate Social Investment (CSI) initiatives aimed at improving the quality of life in communities across the country.
Project description and location
The MTN Nigeria Foundation now seeks to establish 6 Mammogram centers for breast cancer screening. The proposed Mammogram centers will be situated within qualifying hospitals across the 6 geopolitical zones of Nigeria. The equipment and facility support will be given to selected passionate Federal & State Teaching Hospitals, Federal Medical Centers and State General Hospitals.
Project objectives
The MTN Foundation seeks to support the health care delivery and management objectives of all stakeholders by intervening by way of a Public Private Partnership (PPP) to strengthen breast cancer screening and prevention capacity in the health Sector through the establishment of mammogram Centers across Nigeria. The MTN Foundation objective is to deliver the said interventions in an efficient and sustainable model working with selected qualifying medical institutions. Recipient medical institutions will be required to charge user friendly fees to cover the cost of consumables and maintenance.

The MTN Foundation will provide for each Mammogram center the following:

1. Mammography machine (1 per site) to include compression paddle, exposure control box, face shield, manuals set, etc.
2. Standard Accessory options: Radiation shield, Bucky etc (1 per site)
3. Cytoguide, stereotactic biopsy system etc
4. Consumables
5. Electrical works/fittings
6. 20 KVA Generator (1 per site)
7. 2Hp Air conditioner (1 per site)
8. Installation and application training/retraining

The MTN Foundation will also provide training/retraining of health care personnel and limited post implementation support and maintenance.

MTN Foundation now invites submissions of Expression of Interest from interested Federal & State Teaching Hospitals, Federal Medical Centers and State General Hospitals who are interested in being shortlisted for consideration. The Expression of Interest must provide evidence of the following:

* Statement of Expression of Interest by Medical Institution
* Address and type of Medical Institution
* Evidence of Supervising Ministry or Authority approval to submit Expression of Interest
* Full Name and address of two contact persons including telephone, fax, email
* Availability of dedicated accommodation for Mammogram center not less than 120 Sqm (10m by 12m) including 2 other adjoining rooms (changing room and film processing room).
* Evidence of availability or access to Oncologist, Oncology Surgeon, Cytopathologist, Radiologist, Medical technicians and Oncology nurses and necessary support staff.
* Availability of already existing and functional Pathology unit where biopsies can be done.
* Evidence of possession of existing functional or non-functional Mammogram facility
* Evidence of ability and willingness to create and maintain a referral system with description of the target population/catchment area
* Distance from alternative functional public Mammogram facility

NEXT STEPS
Upon receipt of Expressions of Interest from interested medical institutions, the MTNF shall evaluate and shortlist qualifying medical institutions for further consideration after which six medical institutions will be selected as recipients of the Mammogram Centers.
Application process
Interested Teaching Hospitals/Federal Medical Centers and State General Hospitals should send their application in sealed envelopes to the address below clearly marked ”Expression of Interest- MTNF Mammogram Center”, within 2 weeks of publication:

The Executive Secretary
MTN Nigeria Foundation
MTN Nigeria, 4th Floor, Golden Plaza, Falomo-Ikoyi, Lagos.
http://www.mtnonline.com/admin/htt://germannefy.blogspot.com
ONLY PRE-QUALIFIED APPLICANTS WILL BE CONTACTED AND MTNF SHALL BE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR EVALUATION AND SELECTION OF SUCCESSFUL MEDICAL INSTITUTIONS

For more information please visit our website at www.mtnonline.com/mtn-foundation/htt://germannefy.blogspot.com
This project is endorsed by the Society for Oncology and Cancer Research of Nigeria.


Nigeria’s leading telecommunications company, MTN, has secured a new numbering range with the prefix 0813. This will be available in the market from Monday, 15th June, 2009.
Since MTN commenced commercial operations in August 2001, it has been known to deliver a wide array of quality telecommunications services that have been consistently delivered via the existing numbering ranges 0803, 0806, 0703 and 0706. The new numbering platform of 0813 will offer the same superior connection, coverage, products and services available on the existing numbering schemes. This is yet another opportunity for Nigerians to join the largest community of distinguished GSM customers in Africa.

“We are happy to attain this milestone and are indeed very grateful to Nigerians for their strong support through the years, which has enabled us to consistently lead the telecommunications industry into new levels of growth year on year,” said Wale Goodluck, Corporate Services Executive.

Goodluck explained that the acquisition of the new numbering range underscores the company’s commitment to diligently implement its licence obligation to take telecommunications services to all nooks and crannies of Nigeria.

“Ours is clearly one of the fastest growing networks in the world. We are passionate about playing our role to enable Nigeria realize its goal of emerging as one of the 20 largest economies by the year 2020,” said Goodluck.

“As we continue to take telecommunications services to virgin and underserved parts of this country, we will relentlessly strive to improve customer experience on the network. Our pledge to our esteemed customers who have consistently affirmed their confidence in our network is that we will tirelessly work towards meeting and exceeding their expectations at all times,” he said.


Education Minister lauds MTN Foundation’s Digital Libraries in tertiary institutions



The Minister of Education, Dr. Sam Egwu, has commended the MTN Foundation for supporting the national effort to bridge the digital divide by donating fully equipped digital libraries to Nigerian universities.
Dr Egwu gave the commendation at the formal commissioning of a digital library donated to the University of Nigeria, Nsukka by the MTN Foundation (MTNF), the corporate social investment implementing vehicle of MTN Nigeria, in the third phase of its flagship Education Portfolio project, UniversitiesConnect. The University of Lagos and the Ahmadu Bello University Zaria are the second and third beneficiaries of the project.

“In this fast evolving digital age, we need to equip our children with the skills to compete favourably with their peers from all over the world. That is why this intervention by the MTN Foundation is both timely and strategic. It is indeed very impressive and commendable,” said the Minister, who also commissioned a modern library complex built by the institution.
The UniversitiesConnect programme is the tertiary institution version of the flagship project of the education portfolio, SchoolsConnect, which is helping to equip secondary students and teachers with the skills to function effectively in the digital age.

Wale Goodluck, Corporate Services Executive, MTN said “the UniversitiesConnect seeks to provide students and lecturers with access to the vital information they need to excel in their studies. The project will enhance research activities at the ivory towers by availing them of resources from libraries across the world.” The UniversitiesConnect digital library consists of 128 networked computers, 3, servers, 2 high capacity printers, one sound proof 100KVA generator, VSAT equipment and internet connectivity with a 2 year subscription. The library is linked to world-class digital libraries across the world, providing access to electronic resources like books, journals, magazines etc, covering all subjects from Law, Architecture and Medicine to Arts, and Engineering. The University of Benin in Edo State has been selected to benefit from the fourth phase of the project and work scheduled to commence later in the month. “Education is very key to national development. MTN will continue to seek for avenues to contribute its quota to enhancing the quality of education that our children receive in the schools” said Mr. Goodluck.
The outgoing Vice Chancellor of the University of Nigeria, Prof. Chinedu Nebo in his remarks at the commissioning ceremony commended the MTN Foundation for responding to a critical need of the institution. While calling on other corporate organizations to emulate MTN Foundation, he promised that the institution would fulfill its own part of the deal by ensuring the sustainability of the project.

“I am happy to hand over the UniversitiesConnect digital library to my successor, Prof. Barth Okolo. He is a performer and a man of integrity, who will ensure that this facility is well maintained and utilized for the good of this great institution”, he said.
The MTN Foundation currently has over 120 projects sites in the important areas of Health, Economic Empowerment and Education in 28 States of the country, including the Federal Capital Territory