our approach to corporate & social responsibility (CSR) is to use our expertise, technology, and partnerships to create positive impact.
since inception of this scheme in 2009, over 1200 undergraduate students of electrical electronics engineering, computer science and business management have been awarded with these prestigious scholarships instituted by Emerging Markets Telecommunication Services Limited (now trading as 9mobile).
it is also worthy to note that criteria for selection for this award include academic excellence and indigenous relationship to the location of each of the recipient tertiary institutions.
by providing an educational fund to Nigerian students from all social classes, we have given them freedom from financial concerns enabling them to focus fully on their studies and ultimately contribute to the growth of the Nigerian economy.
Last year, we awarded the best performing students in 12 selected institutions, based on their 200 and 300 level results, the sum of NGN200,000 each. these students had the highest CGPA from electrical engineering, computer science and management. We also extended the scope of beneficiaries to include physically challenged scholars.
This is an ongoing initiative.
the 9mobile telecommunications engineering postgraduate programme is a flagship corporate & social responsibility (CSR) initiative of 9mobile Nigeria, launched on the 16th of May 2013.
the program, a first of its kind in West Africa, is a one-year taught master’s course in telecommunications engineering located in ahmadu bello university (ABU) zaria. in instituting this, we have collaborated with plymouth university UK, etisalat academy UAE; and huawei technologies. to ensure a holistic and practical learning experience, huawei provided the equipment in the Emerging Markets Telecommunication Services Limited sponsored laboratory, and the etisalat academy, UAE and plymouth university are providing tutelage on technical courses specific to the telecommunications sector.
our commitment includes the provision of access to world class e-resources for the programme, sponsorship of lecturers of ABU to undertake PHDs at plymouth university, and facilitation of internships with 9mobile for the intakes of the programme in partial fulfillment of the course requirements.
through this program, we are building expertise and local content in the area of telecommunications engineering. we have been able to demonstrate sustainability of this project by promoting capacity building, local content and multilateral partnerships thereby increasing impact levels on its recipients, host communities and our business operations.
at 9mobile, we envision a future of sustainable economic and social impact through limitless reach. the MSc in telecoms engineering programme reinforces our commitment to using our CSR policy, strategy and initiatives to create this future.
nearly half of the global population is at risk of malaria. in 2015 alone, there were about 212 million malaria cases and an estimated 429 000 malaria deaths. Sub Saharan Africa carries a extremely high proportion of the world’s malaria burden -in 2015, the region was home to 90% of malaria cases and 92% of malaria deaths. thus with about 250 million malaria cases and nearly one million deaths which put about 3.3 billion people (half of the world’s population) at risk of malaria, one of our focal initiatives on the health platform is aimed at reducing the malaria scourge on this continent, through the fight malaria initiative.
this is a two – pronged approach education and active action, adopted to actively combat the disease which is one of the most rampant killers of Nigerians and a detriment to the growth of the Nigerian economy.
over twenty thousand insecticide-treated nets have been distributed to local government areas and schools, in different communities across the length and breadth of Nigeria.
we have also instituted the 9mobile fight malaria clubs, in primary, secondary and tertiary schools in Cross River state, and this is a pilot phase before other states come on board.
in addition we have partnered with the corporate alliance against malaria in Africa (CAMA), the national malaria elimination program and federal ministry of health, to disseminate information on the prevention and control of the spread of malaria. this has been done using innovative mediums such as social media, SMS messages to our subscriber base, and other engaging channels; with the end goal of ultimately eliminating the malaria scourge from Nigeria.
according to UNICEF, Nigeria is the global second largest contributor to the maternal and infant mortality rate. we support the m-health initiative as part of our growing efforts to uphold good health practices and eliminate causes of maternal and infant mortality in Nigeria, with mobile technology.
through our m-health platform, we have distributed phone lines and data to health care providers, to enable them correctly examine and diagnose conditions that cause maternal and infant mortality. we have partnered with instrat global health solutions for a smooth registration and data collection process.
powered by 9mobile 3G services, the mobile partner solution clinipak wirelessly captures patient data and delivers real time reporting. it helps health care workers increase productivity and modernises the clinical experience, creating a huge impact on health management.
we have partnered with lagos, kaduna and kano state governments to bring about sustainable change and development to public primary and/or secondary schools in these states, by adopting schools and refurbishing them. To date, we have built classroom blocks, donated fully equipped information and communication technology (ICT) laboratories, physics, chemistry and biology laboratories, provided potable drinking water, renovated hostel living quarters; amongst many other projects designed to create an enabling learning environment for these future leaders of tomorrow.
We are committed to expanding the scope of this program in the coming years.
the career counseling initiative is designed to appropriately guide students of secondary schools in the junior and senior levels, towards making sound, positive and fulfilling career decisions which will provide long-term benefits to them, their families, organizations, and ultimately the nation.
the career counseling scheme, an employee volunteering program is an aspect of the internal CSR of 9mobile Nigeria. through volunteering, our employees have the opportunity to fulfil their desire to impact positively on our host community and the society at large. our employees are encouraged to volunteer their time and employ their skills in providing career counselling as well as mentorship to students of secondary schools.
our focus is mainly on our adopted schools, but other schools are equally included in the program. To date we have held career counseling sessions for more than 100 schools located in Lagos, Kano and Rivers states. Over 10,000 students have benefitted from this initiative.
the career counselling scheme is a continuous program which is designed to be implemented quarterly. through it, we are equipping the Nigerian youth with the tools and information they are provided with at these sessions, to enable them transform themselves into worthy ambassadors of their homes, state and the nation
at 9mobile, we recognize that it is our moral obligation to improve the environment. in order to correctly identify the areas of our business that are harmful to the environment, we operate an environmental management system (EMS) in line with ISO 14001:2001.
the EMS enables us to conserve natural resources, reduce waste generation, and explore new ways of improving our environmental performance.
in recent times, we have boosted the drive to increase awareness on HIV/AIDS in Nigeria and drive its prevention and control, with the provision of a toll-free line for the abuja based national call centre of the national agency for the control of AIDS (NACA).
now, 9mobile subscribers in Nigeria can call the centre for free to receive information and counselling on HIV/AIDS and related issues. we are also providing technical support and back-up for the seamless operation of the agency’s call centre in the war against HIV/AIDS.
in a bid to reinforce our commitment towards this intervention, our partnership with the joint united nations programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) was recently established to contribute efforts towards eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV.
Emerging Markets Telecommunication Services limited (now trading as 9mobile) in collaboration with the british council launched a teacher training programme in 2011. this is an initiative designed to strengthen teaching skills in Nigeria, beginning with the english language in recognition of the pivotal role that the language plays in general education in the country.
it had been identified that the performance in english language of primary and secondary school students was on a steep decline, and poor knowledge of english language generally also affects employability, mobility and ultimately the economy of the country; hence the staging of this intervention to address these issues.
the programme focused on teachers of english language in primary/secondary schools in kaduna, rivers and oyo states so far. they have been retrained in english language teaching styles and delivery, with the contents of their lessons also improved; to enable them keep up pace with international standards in english language teaching skills.
we are certain that the retrained teachers in english language and other subjects to be tackled in due course will have better grasp, understanding and knowledge of their respective courses; thus improving the students’ performance in local and international examinations.
in the course of 2014, the nation encountered an alarming outbreak of the ebola virus disease. official statistics from the world health organization indicate that a good number of fatalities emanated from this incident.
in a bid to reinforce our commitment within the health platform to promote private and public partnerships, we provided phones, SIM cards and airtime towards the ebola containment fund across the affected geo-political zones in order to help drive the awareness and the eventual elimination of the disease.
to further promote awareness and action towards its elimination, we also championed the dissemination of information to the public through our sponsored programmes on radio stations across the country, in collaboration with the Nigerian red cross society.
as part of our efforts in providing eco-friendly as well as sustainable products and services, we have partnered with oberthur to make available innovative SIM packs called eco SIMs.
the cards successfully cut in half the amount of plastic waste used for the production of a SIM card. they are manufactured with 50% less plastic, and the environmental footprint of this SIM card is half of that generated by the classic SIM card, from 16g of C02 to 8g of C02 generated per card. this is because the new format uses half the quantity of plastic for production, thus reducing waste generation.
beyond our eco-friendly products and services, we are partnering with reputable institutions, organizations as well as government bodies in driving our environment-friendly green initiatives. our partnership efforts are generally geared towards mitigating the effects of climate change as well as ensuring a sustainable environment.
