MTN Group today announced it is the Platinum Event Sponsor for the GSMA Mobile 36 -Africa event to be held in Cape Town from 5-7 November 2014. Mobile 360-Africa will attract key stakeholders from mobile and adjacent industries to examine practical steps to help bring about collaboration, including coordinating and enabling policies to promote digital and financial inclusion.
MTN Group President and CEO Sifiso Dabengwa will also deliver a keynote address on the opening day of the conference. Dabengwa will share his thoughts about the development of the industry and the role of telecoms in the further growth and evolution of the African continent.
Commenting on the partnership with the GSMA, Executive for Corporate Affairs at MTN Group, Chris Maroleng said: “MTN is at the coalface of the mobile evolution underway in the majority of our markets, where we are enabling customers to access financial and digital services through mobile devices. Our sponsorship of the GSMA Mobile 360-Africa event gives us an opportunity to take an active role in engagements that seek to move the continent closer to realising the promise of mobile.”
Mobile 360-Africa serves as an extension of previously established GSMA events, including the Mobile for Development Summit and the Mobile Money for the Unbanked Leadership Forum. These events are featured at Mobile 360-Africa as co-located programmes, showcasing the progress of initiatives already benefitting millions within the region. The co-located programmes will take a closer look at many of the initiatives driven by GSMA’s work in Mobile for Development, Mobile Money for the Unbanked (MMU), Connected Women and policy and regulation.
We’re very pleased to have MTN Group’s strong support of Mobile 360-Africa,” said Michael O’Hara, Chief Marketing Officer, GSMA. “Sub-Saharan Africa is one of the fastest-growing regions globally, with the number of unique mobile subscribers growing by 18 per cent annually over the last five years, and it’s also a tremendously diverse environment. We’re looking forward to Mobile 360-Africa and exploring how mobile is driving digital and financial inclusion in the region, for the benefit of citizens, businesses and governments alike.”
