MTN Group and its largest subsidiary MTN South Africa retained their Level 1 Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment status in 2025, extending a multi-year run that underscores the company’s focus on inclusion and economic participation.
The rating, the highest under South Africa’s empowerment framework, marks the sixth consecutive year for MTN Group and the seventh for MTN South Africa, according to the company’s annual compliance report compiled by an independent verification agency.
“For MTN, long-term business success and societal progress are deeply interconnected,” said Ralph Mupita, MTN Group President and CEO. “Maintaining a Level 1 B-BBEE status over many years reflects this.”
Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment, a policy framework in South Africa, aims to address structural inequalities by expanding economic participation and strengthening long-term resilience in the economy.
MTN said its performance was supported by progress across key scorecard elements, including skills development, enterprise and supplier development, and socio-economic initiatives.
The company supported 492 learnerships, graduate programmes and targeted skills interventions in 2025, focusing on digital and technical capabilities aimed at improving employability and supporting participation in the digital economy.
Procurement spending also remained central to the group’s strategy. MTN reported spending 8.8 billion rand with suppliers that are at least 51% Black-owned and 11.6 billion rand with suppliers that are at least 30% Black women-owned, as part of efforts to deepen local participation and strengthen business ecosystems.
“By using our procurement spend, skills programmes and partnerships to enable real economic participation, MTN South Africa is driving impact that extends well beyond compliance,” said Ferdi Moolman.
MTN said its empowerment efforts align with its broader strategy to expand digital and financial inclusion across its markets, positioning connectivity as a driver of economic development.
Through the MTN South Africa Foundation, the group has scaled education and skills initiatives, including its online learning platform, which reached more than 900,000 learners, and a skills academy that supported over 25,000 beneficiaries, with a focus on women and youth.
The company said it remains committed to embedding transformation across its value chain, from procurement and enterprise support to community initiatives, as it seeks to contribute to a more inclusive and digitally connected economy.
