MTN Nigeria and Pan-Atlantic University (PAU) recently announced the launch of the MTN Media Innovation Programme (MTN MIP), which will be run by PAU’s School of Media and Communication (SMC).
The six-month, fully funded fellowship for Nigerian media practitioners is designed to support the sustainable development of the nation’s changing media scene. It is open to media practitioners across the spectrum, including print, electronic, online platforms, and social media content creators.
The course is designed to give participants a greater understanding of Nigeria’s technology sector and the nexus between media and technology; it will also leave participants better able to adapt to changing realities. Fellows will also have access to professional resources and mentorship from the SMC faculty.
“We are driven by our belief that everyone deserves the benefits of a modern connected world and are driving accelerated growth by leading digital solutions for Nigeria’s progress. Against this backdrop, the media landscape continues changing at remarkable speeds, boosted by new technologies. Thus, it is only fitting that we support developments in the Nigerian media space with our infrastructure and enable capacity-building initiatives to enable innovation in media practice.
“It’s a delight to partner with the Pan-Atlantic University, who, through their expertise, have contributed to the professional development of the media industry, not only in Nigeria but across Africa,” Karl Toriola, CEO, MTN Nigeria, noted during the launch event.
“The School of Media and Communication was established to train professionals who will uphold the highest intellectual, ethical and professional values that promote creativity, critical knowledge, social responsibility, and the spirit of enterprise. The MTN Media Innovation Programme could not have come at a better time for Nigerian media practitioners to imbibe these pertinent values,” Professor Enase Okonedo, Vice-Chancellor, Pan-Atlantic University, added.
The course, fully sponsored by MTN Nigeria, will be available to twenty (20) successful applicants.
Interested media practitioners can visit https://smc.edu.ng/mtnmip/ to apply.
Also at the event, Karl Toriola, Chief Executive Officer of MTN Nigeria disclosed that MTN Nigeria Communication Plc is planning an early launch of 5G services for Nigerians to enjoy the technology
He said the 5G services may go live in the nation as early as the second half of 2022 as the company is ready for it.
This launch was organized some months after the firm paid its spectrum license fee, and ahead of what the Nigerian Communications Commission proposed in its ‘Draft Information Memorandum on 3.5 GHz Spectrum Auction.’ Meanwhile, the commission had said 5G would be rolled out in six states within its first two years of deployment.
According to Toriola “Nigeria is probably the first, maybe the second, to do a proper 5G spectrum auction with enough bandwidth to give real 5G service and we must thank the minister and the NCC for this.
“A few months later, South Africa decided to do their spectrum auction pretty much copying Nigeria. According to the Information Memorandum for the auction, we would be able to launch early in the second half of 2022, but we are working with the ministry and the regulator to see if we can bring 5G to life a lot earlier in Nigeria.”
In December 2021, MTN and Mafab Nigeria Communications Limited won the NCC’s auction for the two available lots of 100 MHz TDD slots of 3.5 GHz band for the provision of 5G in the country and Mafab has since then said little or nothing about its deployment plan.
Toriola also said that MTN Nigeria has paid N3.5tn as levies and taxes to the government since its inception.
He equally revealed that the organisation had committed over N3.4tn on capital investment and had enabled broad socio-economic development by creating values for shareholders, with over N2.5tn dividends paid since inception. The CEO, who assured that shareholders would be smiling at the bank, said that more than 30 million Nigerians had benefited from N28bn investments through MTN Foundation.
“MTN has been enabling broad socio-economic development by supporting financial infrastructure through over 174,500 ATMs and PoS for electronic payments, while it has also created alternative payment channels to 9.4 million active customers.
“It has equally provided high-capacity Internet for over 160 public and private universities, polytechnics, and colleges,” he stressed.