MTN Expands Connectivity Efforts For Refugee Communities Across Africa
Africa’s largest telecommunications operator, MTN Group, has announced plans to expand mobile connectivity and digital services for refugees, internally displaced persons, asylum seekers, and host communities across several African markets through a new partnership with UNHCR.
The telecom company disclosed the initiative in a statement published on its official website, describing it as a multi-year collaboration aimed at closing the digital connectivity gap faced by millions of displaced people across the continent.
According to MTN, the partnership will focus on improving access to mobile networks, digital tools, and financial services in refugee-hosting communities where barriers such as limited broadband infrastructure, lack of recognised identification, unaffordable devices, and low digital literacy often restrict participation in the digital economy.
The Group Chief Sustainability and Corporate Affairs Officer of MTN, Nompilo Morafo, said the initiative reflects the company’s broader commitment to ensuring that digital connectivity serves as a basic enabling platform rather than a privilege.
“When people are forced to flee, digital access becomes critical,” Morafo said in the statement.
“It keeps families connected, enables access to assistance, and restores agency.”
Humanitarian agencies increasingly view digital connectivity as an essential component of emergency and long-term refugee support systems. Reliable communication services allow displaced persons to receive real-time information on safety, humanitarian assistance, education, and livelihood opportunities.
Deputy High Commissioner of UNHCR, Kelly Clements, said improved digital access plays a crucial role in strengthening resilience among displaced populations.
“Digital access is essential for displaced communities, allowing them to receive life-saving information, connect with support networks, and rebuild their futures,” Clements said.
She added that MTN’s presence across multiple African markets makes the collaboration particularly significant for efforts aimed at narrowing the connectivity gap affecting displaced populations.
“MTN’s scale and reach across Africa make this collaboration a significant step toward closing the connectivity gap for millions,” she said.
Africa currently hosts some of the world’s largest displaced populations due to conflict, climate-related disasters, and political instability. According to UNHCR data, more than 40 million people across the continent are either forcibly displaced within their own countries or living as refugees and asylum seekers in neighbouring states.
In many refugee-hosting regions, access to telecommunications infrastructure remains limited. Displaced individuals often struggle to obtain SIM cards or digital financial services because they lack recognised identification documents required by telecom regulations and financial institutions.
MTN and UNHCR said their partnership is designed to tackle these structural barriers through several coordinated measures.
These include expanding resilient mobile network infrastructure in refugee-hosting areas, improving affordability of connectivity services, and supporting digital inclusion programmes that enable displaced persons to access mobile money, remittances, and digital learning platforms.
The collaboration will also prioritise digital skills development and financial inclusion initiatives aimed at helping refugees and host communities participate more effectively in local economies.
MTN noted that identity verification challenges and limited digital literacy often represent the first major obstacles preventing displaced individuals from accessing digital services.
Addressing these gaps will therefore form a central part of the programme, alongside efforts to strengthen partnerships with governments, development agencies, and private sector stakeholders.
Beyond expanding telecom services, the initiative also seeks to mobilise broader ecosystem support by attracting additional funding and encouraging multi-stakeholder collaboration designed to deliver measurable socio-economic outcomes in refugee-hosting regions.
The first phase of implementation will begin in Rwanda, Uganda, and South Sudan. These countries host significant displaced populations and already operate large humanitarian response programmes supported by international organisations.
MTN indicated that the initiative will later expand into other markets where the telecom company operates and where displaced populations remain substantial.
The partnership also aligns with the broader Connectivity For Refugees initiative, which seeks to extend meaningful digital access to at least 20 million forcibly displaced people worldwide by 2030.
UNHCR and its partners have increasingly emphasised digital inclusion as a key pillar of humanitarian response strategies. Access to reliable connectivity is viewed as essential not only for emergency coordination but also for enabling displaced individuals to access education, employment opportunities, and financial services.
For telecommunications companies operating across developing markets, such initiatives also reflect growing recognition that expanding digital access in underserved communities can contribute to long-term economic participation and social stability.
MTN operates in more than a dozen African countries and serves over 280 million subscribers across the continent. Its network footprint and mobile money platforms have made the company one of the most influential digital infrastructure providers in Africa’s rapidly expanding telecommunications sector.