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Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | MTN has announced a Shs4.5bn funding for its second phase of a youth-centered initiative dubbed the MTN ACE program.
MTN executives said, the announcement follows the outstanding success of the initial phase and that MTN Uganda’s corporate social responsibility arm, MTN Foundation, is the funder.
The three-year initiative aims to equip 8,000 youths and create 150 startups, transforming Uganda’s population into a digitally skilled workforce as the country positions itself to reap its dividend from the ongoing Fourth Industrial Revolution.
The telecom firm is collaborating with key partners including the Ministry of ICT & National Guidance, the National ICT Innovation Hub, Centenary Technology Services, MUBS Entrepreneurship Innovation and Incubation Centre, and Engage Consult.
“These partnerships are instrumental in ensuring the program’s success and sustainability,” Sylvia Mulinge, the MTN Uganda Chief Executive said at the program launch event held at the Nakawa Innovation hub in Kampala today.
“At MTN Uganda, we believe that everyone deserves the benefits of a modern connected world, and access to digital skills is a critical avenue to achieving that aspiration,” Mulinge said, “As the second phase of the MTN ACE program takes shape, MTN Uganda is more committed than ever to empowering the country’s youth to become innovators, entrepreneurs, and leaders in the digital age.”
Mulinge further noted that the program seamlessly aligns with MTN’s Ambition 2025 of leading digital solutions for Uganda’s progress and supporting the government’s development goals in the National Development Plan III and Vision 2040.
The first phase of the MTN ACE program, which has been running since December 2022, saw 185 youths graduate across three distinct programs: 51 from MTN ACE Tech, 47 from the MTN ACE Career program, and 87 from the MTN ACE Skills program. Additionally, 20 enterprises were selected for ACE Tech acceleration, and 15 enterprises for incubation, demonstrating the program’s significant impact on nurturing youth skills and enterprises. MTN injected Shs1.5 billion in the first phase of the program.
Beyond Kampala, the company plans to set up four regional ICT and innovation hubs in main national public universities across the country namely; Makerere University in Kampala, Gulu University in Northern Uganda, Kabale University in the Western, and Busitema University in the Eastern part of the country.
The Junior Minister for ICT Joyce Nabbosa Ssebugwawo said, “As we embark on Phase Two, we are more committed than ever to empowering our youth to become innovators, entrepreneurs, and leaders in the digital age. Together, we are encouraging innovation and productivity across people, organizations, businesses, and government.”
The MTN ACE program focuses on three key areas; the MTN ACE Tech which focuses on upskilling youth interested in tech-related innovations, the MTN ACE Career which empowers fresh graduates with workplace skills and internship placements and lastly the MTN ACE Skills which is tailored for youths in or out of school, equipping them with entrepreneurial skills to start businesses.
