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MTN earmarks UGX370 billion for network expansion

Edward 30th Jan, 2025 Telecommunication Peter Nyanzi
MTN earmarks UGX370 billion for network expansion

MTN CEO Sylvia Mlinge says the the ‘Unstoppable Uganda’ they envision is a country where people are able to leverage on MTN's technologies to drive their progress forward.


Telecommunications giant MTN Uganda has earmarked $100m (about UGX370) for investment in the Ugandan market. Speaking to journalists at their offices in Kampala, Sylvia Mlinge, the MTN Uganda CEO, said the capital expenditure would fund their infrastructure expansion programme countrywide aimed at driving their digital transformation agenda.

“We want to invest in rolling out our fibre infrastructure and enhance our backend aimed at driving the digitization of our services,” she said. “It’s a big investment from the technology perspective. This is to enable us give our customers the best experience.”

She stressed that digital transformation is one of their key strategic initiatives for 2025 including the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in their technology setup.

  • “There's a lot of work that has been done at group level in terms of driving our AI strategy, aimed at ensuring that MTN is able to deliver efficiencies in terms of cost savings for the customer through automation,” she said.

However, Mlinge also highlighted the importance of regulation to ensure that AI is not used negatively to the disadvantage of people.

“How do we ensure that even as we participate in this space, we're also working with the regulators to ensure the ethics of AI, protecting the identity of our customers, making sure that their data privacy is also not impacted?”

  • Mlinge said that in line with the company’s vision of ‘everyone deserves the benefits of a digital modern connected life,’ the other priorities are maintaining their market-leader status and making sure that the government’s priorities - education, health, oil exploration, etc, are MTN’s priorities too.

“We can’t have strong companies in failing communities. Every organization that has been given the license to operate in any society has the responsibility to bring value that can drive the overall positive incomes of that society,” she said. “Our role as MTN is to empower and enable our communities. The ‘Unstoppable Uganda’ that we envision is a country where people are able to leverage on our technologies to drive their progress forward.”

She added that it is imperative that they invest in cutting-edge infrastructure such as 5G so as to offer a world-class network. MTN Uganda currently boasts of over 550 5G sites that have been deployed countrywide. They are also rolling out their fibre infrastructure to connect homes, businesses and base stations. Additionally, MTN is working with the digital entrepreneur community aimed at coming up with new services on their mobile money platform so as to unlock more value for Ugandans.

Last year, MTN launched its API platform dubbed ‘Chenosis,’ which allows entrepreneurs of whatever size and skill to connect to MTN services. It aims to foster innovation and create new opportunities for businesses and developers in Africa.

“We see an opportunity to actually unlock the potential within the technical or technology space by partnering with innovative entrepreneurs - giving them access to our platforms, especially on mobile money. We are an enabler. We create the network effect, which allows as many people as possible to be partners,” she said.

  • Todate, ‘Chenosis’ has enabled different segments of businesses including small entrepreneurs to interact with MTN’s technology. The company is also investing heavily in driving digital skilling and transformation both in urban and rural areas, aimed at scaling up digital literacy and transformation.
  • “We are partnering with organizations that are also in the same space, including UN-led organizations, to help us to bridge the digital divide,” she said.

“We have a role to play in terms of establishing, first of all, the connectivity, which is a foundation, and after that, to unlock the true value in the various segments of our customer base.”

MTN Uganda, the leading telecommunications company in Uganda, is part of the MTN Group, a multinational telecommunications company with a presence in various countries across Africa and the Middle East.

Mlinge stressed that in the New Year, they are focusing on multi-million-dollar investments aimed at expanding their fintech and digital services portfolio, including mobile financial services, data services, and other digital solutions.

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