This year’s theme, “Connecting at the Roots: Connecting Communities Through the Use of Digital Tools”, came alive in communities across the country through tangible acts of service powered by MTN Staff volunteers.

Over the course of 21 days, thousands of MTN Staff, referred to as MTNers, across Nigeria stepped into underserved communities with tools, skills, and empathy. They bridged digital gaps, inspired hope and created sustainable impact at the grassroots level.

“Y’ello Care is more than just a programme. It is our heartbeat inaction,” said Dr. Karl Toriola, CEO of MTN Nigeria. “Our people are not only connecting calls, but they are also connecting lives. And this year, we have taken that connection even deeper into the roots of our society, where the need is greatest.”

Reflecting on the Y’ello Care 2025 activities, Ayham Moussa, the Chief Operating Officer of MTN Nigeria, applauded the staff of MTN for their dedication and commitment towards making this year’s edition a success. He said, “Thank you for your (MTNers) efforts to make this happen. Beyond the activities that took place during the 21 Days of Y’ello Care, I’ve also seen the values and impact that drive us to do these things.”

Key Highlights from Y’ello Care 2025

•     More than 1million Nigerians reached through physical and digital interventions
• Thousands of devices, including computers and tablets, donated to schools, women-led businesses and community hubs
•     Solar power solutions installed in health centres, classrooms and community facilities
•   Y’ello Boxes are being delivered to underserved areas. These are retrofitted containers fully equipped as digital hubs powered by solar, offering internet access, digital training tools and essential services to support learning, entrepreneurship and community growth
•     Empowerment sessions held on digital literacy, financial inclusion, artificial intelligence, cyber safety and content creation
•   Staff volunteers in states such as Lagos, Kaduna, Enugu, Cross River, Rivers, Plateau, Oyo, Osun and the FCT led training sessions, installed infrastructure and supported communities with hands-on mentoring.

From the community centre in Gwagwalada to markets in Enugu, to artisan training in Ikorodu and secondary school support in Agege, the initiative demonstrated the power of meaningful connection, one community at a time.

Also present was one of the beneficiaries of the recipient communities, Nafisat Abdulrasaq, Founder, Muslimah’s Hangout. Muslimah’s Hangout is a support network for Muslim women focused on self-discovery, personal development, and empowerment.

The group was nominated as one of the communities for the MTN Y’ello Care Initiative 2025, and a specialised financial literacy program was organised for its members.

“This wasn’t just another event – it was a turning point. For many of our members, it sparked a fresh sense of confidence and clarity around money, goals, and growth. The sessions were practical, intentional, and left a lasting impact. We’re grateful to MTN and its Y’ello Care Initiative for recognising our work and investing in our community in such a meaningful way.”

This year’s campaign also focused on long-term impact. Solar-powered installations and skill-building sessions were designed to remain relevant long after the campaign ends.

As the campaign draws to a close, MTN continues to deliver Y’ello Boxes to even more communities in need.

These efforts are part of MTN’s broader mission to deepen digital inclusion and connect people to the benefits of modern technology.

In Nigeria, one such movement is being quietly driven not by executives in boardrooms, but by employees armed with a powerful sense of purpose to go make a difference.

Each year, MTN Nigeria’s staff volunteers set aside their day jobs to participate in Y’ello Care, the company’s corporate social responsibility initiative.

But in 2024, they did more than volunteer — they raised over NGN20 million from their own pockets to renovate a crumbling school block at Iwerekun Community High School, Lakowe.

Iwerekun Community High School, before the intervention, was a picture of broken promise: dilapidated classrooms, leaking roofs, and a lack of basic facilities.

Students struggled to learn in an environment that failed to inspire hope. Today, thanks to the hands-on efforts of MTN employees, the school boasts refurbished classrooms, a steady water supply, and even an inverter system to ensure stable electricity. More importantly, it offers a renewed sense of possibility.

Speaking about the 2024 edition, Tobe Okigbo, Chief Corporate Services & Sustainability Officer, MTN Nigeria, said,

“Y’ello Care is the MTN Nigeria ecosystem giving back and contributing time, money, and resources to make a positive impact. Last year, we focused on education in remote areas, supporting three projects that will provide access to quality education for young Nigerians. And we are eager for the 2025 edition.”

Beyond renovations, previous editions of Y’ello Care have touched lives across Nigeria. Employees have organised vocational skill workshops, distributed learning materials through the KNOSK Charity Education Initiative, and mentored students to equip them for the future. From building digital libraries to delivering healthcare services through mobile clinics, MTN’s staff-led projects focus on long-term empowerment rather than short-term charity.

For many MTN volunteers, Y’ello Care is personal. Christiana Agyei, a participant in one of MTN’s earlier vocational training programmes, went from an unemployed single mother to a thriving entrepreneur.

Today, she employs others in her soap-making business, a ripple effect that began with one employee-led workshop.

Over the past 18 years, Y’ello Care has grown into more than a CSR programme; it has become a culture within MTN, a living, breathing part of the company’s identity.

Each initiative is not just a project, but a commitment to building the kind of Nigeria where opportunity isn’t determined by postcode or privilege.

At the commissioning of the Lakowe project, Honourable Jamiu Tolani Alli-Balogun, Commissioner of the Lagos State Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, summed it up simply:

“The education sector worldwide thrives on collaboration and commitment between public and private partners. MTN’s generous contribution is truly recognised, and I express my deepest gratitude for its unwavering commitment to supporting education in Lagos State. This new facility will provide a conducive environment for teaching and learning, enabling our students to reach their full potential.”

As Nigeria faces ever-evolving economic and social challenges, initiatives like Y’ello Care offer a template for how corporations can genuinely transform the communities they serve, not with slogans, but with sleeves rolled up and boots on the ground.

In the end, it’s not about NGN20 million or refurbished buildings. It’s about faith restored, dreams reignited, and the simple, radical idea that change begins with care.

Beyond Education: MTN Y’ello Care’s Broader Impact

While education is a major focus, Y’ello Care has also transformed healthcare and economic opportunities across Nigeria through critical initiatives such as:

Healthcare Interventions: Through the Y’ello Doctor Mobile Medical Intervention Scheme, MTN provided free primary healthcare services to individuals across communities. Since its inception, the initiative has impacted thousands of Nigerians.

Vocational Training & Entrepreneurship Support: In collaboration with partners, MTN facilitated skill acquisition workshops that enabled over 500 Nigerians—including women and persons with disabilities—to launch small businesses.

Over 65% of participants actively applied their new skills, and 50% successfully started businesses.

Scholarships & Digital Libraries: MTN Y’ello Care has established digital libraries and awarded scholarships to students, ensuring that quality education is accessible to as many young Nigerians as possible.

As Y’ello Care continues to grow, MTN remains dedicated to expanding its impact, especially in underserved areas.

By investing in education, healthcare, and economic empowerment, the initiative is building a brighter future for Nigeria, one project at a time.

This year, MTNers across the various regions in Nigeria will engage their communities in activities centred around the theme, Empowering Entrepreneurs to unlock Growth & Job Creation for Communities.

Here are seven things to anticipate during the 2023 edition of the MTN Y’ello Care initiative;

1. Trade Fair / Exhibition for 80 Entrepreneurs: 

This year MTN Y’ello Care will begin with a two-day trade fair that allows 80 entrepreneurs to sell their products to more than 1000 MTN employees at a discounted price. This is great exposure for the participating businesses.

2. Zero-rated Virtual Training for 20,000 Entrepreneurs: 

There will also be free virtual training for 20,000 entrepreneurs, which will include discussions on company registration, financial literacy, how to activate a MoMo account, the use of social media for business growth, customer care skills and the MTN Enterprise Business solutions.

3. Donation of empowerment equipment to 500 Women: 

In the NorthEast Region, 500 women will receive empowerment equipment to increase their production of soya bean, a legume popular planted in that area.

4. Empowerment of 250 People with Disabilities (PWD’s): 

In the NorthEast Region, 250 people with disabilities will be empowered with N5,000 MoMo float to boost their business and digitise how they sell airtime.

5. Y’ello Den Pitch-A-Thon: 

In Lagos, MTN will host the first-ever MTN Y’ello Care Den Pitch-A-Thon for business owners, and five finalists will be selected to pitch their business expansion plans, with a chance to win financial and tech support from MTN Nigeria.

6. Procurement of cassava pressing and grinding machines to rural women:

In the SouthEast Region, women in rural communities will receive cassava pressing and grinding machines to increase production and eventual scaling of their business.

7. Procurement of 15 Rechargeable barbing clippers to barbers: 

Youths across rural communities in the SouthEast Region will receive rechargeable barbing clippers to reduce the cost of running their barbing salon business.

Here is all you need to know about MTN’s Y’ello Care initiative;

1. Launched in 2007

The Y’ello care initiative was launched in 2007, to give back to communities where MTN operates. Since inception, MTN has successfully run 14 editions of the initiative across Nigeria.

2. Community Engagement

The initiative is designed for MTNers to engage and get involved within their different communities through various activities. It also supports the delivery of MTN’s Ambition 2025 strategy, and the strategic priority to ‘create shared value’ by fostering connection between MTN and its communities.

3. Annual initiative for MTNers

The Y’ello care initiative is supported by the efforts of employees. They are encouraged to take part in high-impact social projects that strengthen the communities where the company operates. Employees define the social actions they intend to carry out and then materially and personally invest in achieving such projects.

4. Annual theme

The Initiative is differently themed each year, to guide the different activities and initiatives by MTNers. The theme is usually focused on education, health, the environment, youth empowerment and entrepreneurship. This year’s theme is tagged ‘Empowering entrepreneurs to unlock growth and job creation for communities’ and it focuses on leveraging digital & financial tools, and skills as enablers to unlock growth for grass root-based entrepreneurs.

5. 21 days of activities

The Y’ello Care initiative is a 21-day activity initiative, and this year, it will run from June 1 – 21, 2023 across all the states in Nigeria. The Y’ello Care activities will be launched with an opening ceremony, and end with a closing ceremony.

On Friday, 5 August, MTN Nigeria officially concluded the 2022 Y’ello Care campaign at a closing ceremony held at the company’s Falomo, Ikoyi head office. 

Present at the event were MTN executives, MTN staff and ecosystem partners from Huawei, IHS and others.

21 Days of Y’ello Care is an annual employee volunteerism program for MTN staff to volunteer their resources (time, financial and skills) to empower local communities across Nigeria through capacity building and other forms of empowerment.

This year’s campaign was themed, “Empowering Communities to Drive Economic Recovery.” This inspired MTN employees to rise to the challenge of upskilling local communities to help boost economic activities.

MTN employees, alongside partners to the brand organised several financial inclusion and empowerment programmes for women, youth and children within various communities.

Employability training, graphics design masterclasses and hackathons were organised with several individuals and businesses empowered with start-up capital, devices and business equipment across Nigeria.

Mustapha Ibrahim, Director of Monitoring and Investigation, Lagos State Agency for Mass Education, while commending MTN’s effort at the Surulere Vocational Centre,  saying, “I am impressed with MTN’s commitment to growth and development, and I am not surprised because the company is well-known for this. We appreciate MTN’s support and are ready to continue partnering with you.”

Speaking at the closing ceremony, Esther Akinnukawe, the Chief Human Resources Officer, MTN Nigeria, said, “This year, our Y’ello Care initiative was focused on how we can give value to our communities enabling them to be more productive participants in the economy. It has been a privilege to give where we live, and we are truly grateful to the communities and people who received us. Thank you for believing, working with and trusting us to connect you to what matters most.”

MTN is committed to adding economic value by contributing to society through its programmes focused on digital education and capacity building. Through the Y’ello Care campaign, the company strives to ensure that it continues to strengthen and uplift community members in the pursuit of economic development. It is important to note that the Y’ello Care programme commenced in 2007.