MTN Group has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the United Natikns Refugee Agency (UNHCR) to provide meaningful connectivity and digital inclusion for refugees, Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), asylum seekers and host communities across MTN’s African markets.
Under the agreement, which was made public last week, the telecom giant and UNHCR expressed commitment to making connectivity more affordable and accessible in refugee-hosting areas, expand resilient network infrastructure, and advance digital and financial inclusion through mobile money, remittance enablement and digital skills development.
The partnership will also support pathways that address identity and literacy gaps, recognising that documentation and capability are often the first barriers to meaningful participation in the digital economy. MTN and UNHCR also aim to catalyse broader ecosystem change by mobilising funding and fostering multi-stakeholder partnerships that deliver measurable socio-economic impact.
Implementation is expected to begin in Rwanda, Uganda and South Sudan, with a structured roadmap to scale across additional MTN markets hosting significant displaced populations. MTN said the partnership underscores a broader reality of the shifting humanitarian landscape across sub-Saharan Africa, where conflict, economic shocks and climate-related disasters continue to drive large-scale displacement.
There are over 20 million displaced people residing in African markets where MTN operates, which includes Benin, Botswana, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, the Republic of Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, the Republic of Congo (Congo-Brazzaville), Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, South Sudan, Swaziland, Uganda and Zambia. UNHCR Deputy High Commissioner, Kelly T. Clements said digital connectivity is central to any humanitarian response to the refugee crisis.
Without reliable connectivity, access to protection updates, humanitarian assistance, education, financial services and livelihood opportunities is severely limited. For many refugees, exclusion is compounded by systemic digital barriers which include lack of recognised identification, unaffordable devices and data, limited broadband coverage, language constraints and low digital literacy. “For displaced communities, digital access is essential to protection, resilience and opportunity.
It allows people to receive lifesaving information, connect with support networks and rebuild their futures,” Clements said in a statement. “MTN’s reach and scale across Africa make this collaboration a significant step toward closing the connectivity gap for millions. “When people are forced to flee, digital access becomes critical – it keeps families connected, enables access to assistance, and restores agency,” added Nompilo Morafo, group chief sustainability and corporate affairs officer at MTN Group.
“This partnership reflects our conviction that inclusion must be intentional and systemic, especially for the most vulnerable.” MTN said its collaboration with UNHCR is anchored in the Connectivity for Refugees initiative, that brings together international organisations, public and private sector actors towards a goal of advancing connectivity for 20 million forcibly displaced people by 2030.
