MTN Uganda took home five gongs at the Digital Impact Awards Africa (DIAA) 2017 awards night held on Friday 22nd September 2017 at the Kampala Serena Hotel.
The awards cemented MTN Uganda’s position as the number one telecommunications company in Uganda.
The accolades that MTN Uganda scooped are; Digital Brand of the Year, Best Technology Brand on Social Media, Best Mobile Financial Service for Africa (MTN Mobile Money), Best Financial Inclusion Product/Service (MTN/CBA MoKash) and Best Digital Customer Service by Technology Brand.
The organizer of the Digital Impact Awards Africa (DIAA), Mr. Innocent Kawooya, who is also the CEO of HiPipo, commended MTN Uganda for this massive achievement: “We congratulate MTN Uganda for their great work which is out there for everyone to see. So much has been accomplished with more Ugandans now enjoying cheaper digital and financial services”.
MTN Uganda has taken the lead in developing products that have had an impact on society. From MTN Mobile Money, MTN Uganda together with CBA developed the first ever product that allows people to borrow and save while earning interest. This explains why that product, MoKash was able to win an accolade.
“The growth and impact of MTN Mobile Money has been visible with our 8.8 million customers. In July, we celebrated the mobile money users with the MTN Mobile Money Month and a free concert in August 2017. Our commitment is to ensure we keep developing products that can transform society,” Elsa Muzzolini, the General Manager, MTN Mobile Financial Services. With the continued use of data in the country, MTN has also expanded its digital presence, making its several platforms interactive and engaging customers.
Apart from impressive financial inclusion products, MTN Uganda Social Media is also trailblazing. MTN Uganda’s Facebook page grew organically by188,000 followers in the past 1 year alone while their Twitter handle @mtnug grew by 42,472 followers in the same period alone.
According to Olivier Prentout the MTN Uganda Chief Marketing Officer, the awards were a testament to MTN’s understanding of customer needs. “We are excited about the awards. We thank our customers who have been part of this journey. It is because them that we continue to ensure we develop products that fit their needs,” he said.
The Digital Impact Awards Africa (DIAA) Patron, Hon. Karubanga David, state minister for Public Service, congratulated all the winners and HiPipo; the organizer of the event for their contribution to national development. “I am honored to be part of Digital Impact Awards Africa. Both the digital and financial sectors continue to strongly contribute to the development of our country. We in the public sector are doing our best to match the excellence exhibited by these private players” he said.
On her part, Prof Maggie Kigozi, the recipient of the DIAA 2017 Investment Leadership Award, applauded the organizers, winners and all participants for coming together to celebrate two sectors that are very fundamental in global development. “Digital and Finance are essential for development. All other sectors, be it Agriculture or Tourism among others depends on them. As a country we have come from very far; from about 40,000 phones in the late 1990s to about 27 million mobile subscribers today. We are moving in the right direction,” Maggie Kigozi said.
