MTN launches first sustainability report

KAMPALA - MTN has launched its first sustainability report, showing a 58.4% reduction in its direct carbon emissions after rolling out renewable energy solutions at more than 500 base station sites.

The 2024 report, unveiled at Kampala Serena Hotel on Tuesday, shows how the telecom has shifted from focusing purely on connectivity to positioning itself as a driver of sustainable development.

The report covers environmental efforts, digital and financial inclusion, investments in communities, and the company’s wider economic footprint.

MTN Board chairman Charles Mbire said the report reflects the human side of MTN’s operations.

“This report is more than a set of numbers. It is a reflection of the lives we touch, the communities we uplift, and the future we are helping to build,” he told stakeholders at the launch.

State Minister for ICT Godfrey Kabyanga said the report will supplement the government's efforts in meeting its global sustainability interventions under the Parish Agreement.

On the environmental front, the company’s biggest achievement was reducing Scope 1 and 2 emissions by more than half, far ahead of its targets.

Godfrey Kabyanga, the ICT state minister, remarks.

The shift to renewable energy, the company said, contributes to cleaner air and healthier communities, and ties into Uganda’s climate commitments.

Spending on community projects rose to sh4.6b, slightly up from sh4.4b in 2023. The MTN Foundation supported 16,000 learners through ICT resource centres, trained nearly 4,800 young people in digital literacy, and continued its Internet Bus initiative.

Within its own workforce, women now make up 51% of employees and 38% of senior managers.

Economically, MTN said it contributed sh1.27 trillion in taxes and supported more than 300,000 indirect jobs. Local supplier spending hit sh980.2b, with 72% of that retained within Uganda.

Spending on women-owned businesses almost doubled to sh73.6b.

Sylvia Mulinge, the MTN chief executive, said the report is part of the company’s broader purpose.

“True success is measured not only in financial performance but in the lives we touch, the environment we protect, and the opportunities we create for the next generation,” she said.