The MTN Foundation has invested N18 million to execute various projects in 550 locations across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria (FCT).Speaking at the launch of MTN Foundation ‘What Can We Do Together’ Phase 2 in Kaduna, the Director, MTN Nigeria Foundation‎, Aisha Sadauki the foundation received over 37, 000 nominations from people seeking help for their communities in the first phase.

She said, “Following an objective ‎and rigorous selection process, the MTN Foundation team and its partners were able to successfully complete 200 projects in 200 communities nationwide in five months.

“Behind every completed project lies a story of real people, real communities and real needs, for instance, Tudun Nupawa district in Zaria, Kaduna state was in need of electricity, having being in darkness for months before one of the residents, Sulieman Shehu, heard of the initiative by the foundation and decided to take matters into his own hands. Today that community is one of 20 communities that have received a fully functional 500KVA transformer.

“In Jigwa state, the residents of Bakwato community in Dutse local government area were in need of clean drinking water to reduce the growing cases of water borne diseases, one of the indigenes, Mudassir Adamu Bello also heard about the initiative and quickly nominated his community and today, 20 boreholes have been constructed in that community and 20 more across the country.”

She commended the team for their passion and dedication, and for ensuring that all the projects were completed within the shortest possible time‎ and called on Nigerians to nominate their communities with a view to empowering them through the foundation.

The Senior Manager Government Relations, MTN, Austin Yashere said‎, “The spectacular thing here is the direction in which the foundation has taken where the communities themselves recognise what they need and tell the foundation thereby providing the community what they need and not what they do not need.

“It is a very commendable way of deciding what to do for the people by recognising what people need to do for themselves and helping them do it. If you deal with MTN, you will find out that it is not the regular way of doing business in Nigeria, they set out standards and they expect you to do your part and assure you that they will do their part which is yeilding great results.”