MTN partners with UN Women and joins the HeForShe Alliance to accelerate its gender equality efforts

MTN is pleased to announce further progress in its efforts to drive gender equality by partnering with United Nations (UN) Women and joining the HeForShe Alliance in a drive to enhance its gender efforts.

The HeForShe Alliance aims to develop the largest set of scalable and shareable solutions for gender equality’s most pressing challenges. Convening global trailblazers from across sectors, these HeForShe Alliance members will spearhead transformative change across countries, companies, campuses, and communities, inspiring many other to follow suit and demonstrating the value of allyship in accelerating progress.

“We have set ourselves ambitious targets, which I am pleased to note we are on track to deliver on,” says MTN Group President and CEO Ralph Mupita. “We have committed to achieving gender equity by 2030, with a target of 50% women in the workforce and 35% women in leadership, against a 2021 base of 39% and 25% respectively. We aim to achieve this by investing in gender development programs, conscientious hiring of women which is aimed at a 60% placement of women in key positions at MTN and in committing to close the gender pay gap.”

The partnership, a $1.6 million commitment over a period of five years, will see the Group stretch itself further to advance gender equality. MTN’s approach to gender equality is not only about the women in the business but about the girls and women in broader society. Working with UN Women, MTN will develop and upskill women and girls to ensure they can actively participate in the Digital Economy.

The company has also committed to including more women in the ICT sector. It has set a target of 30% women in technology roles off its existing base of 17% by 2030, by promoting the hiring and upskilling of women in STEM. Together, MTN and UN Women will also focus on the continent’s Gender Based Violence response through !Pheza an Anti-GBV Online Platform which will be targeted at universities, TVETS and colleges.

The HeForShe Alliance stems from the global HeForShe solidarity movement, a flagship initiative of UN Women, the United Nations entity for Gender Equality, that invites men and boys as allies for a more equal world. This international movement engages men and boys through programs and partnerships with the aim of accelerating women’s economic empowerment, supporting women’s role in peace and security processes, advancing women’s leadership and eliminating gender-based violence.  Since its inception in 2014, the movement has led to over 1.3 billion conversations across the globe.

Hazel Gooding PhD, Representative ad interim, reiterates that “the UN Women South Africa Multi-Country Office (SAMCO) is constantly innovating its approach with respect to strategic partnerships that can strongly amplify Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment. UN Women looks forward to closely collaborating with MTN on the identified areas of Digital Economy and Ending Violence against Women and Girls to make a positive and sustainable impact on the lives of women and girls.”

Edward Wageni, Global Head of HeForShe, said “MTN’s commitment to fortify access, skills, and leaders to achieve gender equality in the workforce and increase the representation of women in leadership is an aspirational beacon for the telecommunications industry at large. We are proud to be partnering with such a connected organization in advancing the shared vision of an equal and supportive workplace for all.”

For MTN, gender equality is not only a moral imperative, but a business imperative too and that is why the company recognises that it cannot reach a sustainable future without the empowerment of women and girls and the commitment of all stakeholders, including men and boys, to achieving this goal. The Group is a signatory to the UN Global Compact and Women Empowerment Principles, MTN is committed to advance the UN Sustainable Development Goals - including Goal 5 for Gender Equality.

“MTN is proud to form part of a movement that is intentional about creating a sustainable future for women and girls to contribute to the advancement of the world. We look forward to working with the UN Women in doing for tomorrow today,” concludes Mupita.
 

About the MTN Group
Launched in 1994, the MTN Group is a leading emerging market operator with a clear vision to lead the delivery of a bold new digital world to our customers. We are inspired by our belief that everyone deserves the benefits of a modern connected life. The MTN Group is listed on the JSE Securities Exchange in South Africa under the share code ‘MTN’. Our strategy is Ambition 2025: Leading digital solutions for Africa’s progress.

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About UN Women
UN Women is the UN organization dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. A global champion for women and girls, UN Women was established to accelerate progress on meeting their needs worldwide. For more information, visit www.unwomen.org. UN Women, 220 East 42nd Street, New York, NY 10017, New York. Tel: +1 646 781-4400. Fax: +1 646 781-4496. For more information, visit www.unwomen.org. 

About HeForShe
Created by UN Women, the United Nations entity for gender equality and the empowerment of women, HeForShe is a solidarity movement for gender equality that invites men and boys as allies for a more equal world. HeForShe provides a systematic approach and targeted platform where a global audience can engage and become change agents for the achievement of gender equality in our lifetime. The movement invites people around the world to stand together as equal partners to craft a shared vision of a gender-equal world and implement specific, locally relevant solutions for the good of all of humanity. For more information, visit: www.HeForShe.org/en.