The Mobile Telecommunications Company (MTC) has pledged N$12.5 million towards various social development projects to be disbursed within the next three years.
The investment will support new and continuing initiatives with projects ranging from education, health, poverty alleviation, support for orphaned and vulnerable children, small and medium enterprise development and job creation, and environment.
“As a good corporate citizen of Namibia, we consider it our responsibility to invest in our community. Our stakeholders include not only customers, employees, shareholders, the government, regulators, and suppliers, but also very importantly communities,” Chief Human Capital, Corporate Affairs and Marketing Officer at MTC Tim Ekandjo said.
“MTC plays a significant role in the country’s economy and the lives of most Namibians who support our business by buying our products and services. It is only right that we give back.”
There are 13 beneficiaries of the investment in total namely, One Economy Foundation, MTC Rural School Project, Nation Internship Project, DW Land Delivery initiative, DW Early Childhood Development, MTC4Life, MTC Care, Vision Restoration Initiative, Hope Village, Community Seedbank, Kunene Early Warning system, Sorting and the Sourcing initiative by the City of Windhoek.
Ekandjo added that while the company’s vision includes an emphasis on an inclusive economy, similarly, creating value for all its stakeholders is at the heart of its mission which translates to stakeholder inclusivity.
“That is why we do not focus exclusively on business activities that return a profit for our shareholders but also on social investment. This is in line with the strategic framework that guides us as Namibia’s largest telecoms provider and a leading corporate,” said Ekandjo.
MTC’s Managing Director Licky Erastus added that the telecommunications giant is also in the process of finalising an environmental, social and governance (ESG) framework which is expected to take effect in 2024. Once adopted and implemented, the framework will be shared with stakeholders.
“We will do so because we believe that the more companies adopt an ESG philosophy, the better our country will become in the areas of the environment, social and governance and ultimately towards sustainability,” he said.
Erastus further urged other corporate companies to come on board and support the company in its CSI endeavors.
“As we announce our continued support towards the social projects we will support in the next three years, I wish to reiterate that we make a clear distinction between Sponsorship and CSI, and our view is that there should be absolutely no competition amongst corporates whether in the public or private sector when it comes to CSI, we must collaborate, engage each other and partner if we want to make real impact,” he said.
