MTN Group presents 2026 Y’ello Care Awards to teams bringing healthcare closer to communities

 

MTN Group hosted its annual Ambassadors’ Appreciation Dinner in Sandton on  Thursday, welcoming South Africa’s Minister of Communications and Digital  Technologies, Solly Malatsi, together with ambassadors, high commissioners and  representatives of development institutions and international organisations from  across MTN’s markets. 

During the evening, MTN presented the 2026 Y’ello Care Awards, honouring the  colleagues and teams who worked alongside health ministries, health workers and  communities during this year’s 21 Days of Y’ello Care. 

Welcoming guests, MTN Group President and CEO Ralph Mupita said the Group’s  success has always been intertwined with that of the countries and communities it  serves. 

“A year ago, I said the time was now for Africa to take charge of its own  socioeconomic progress. I believe that more firmly today,” said Mupita. “Progress is  built through partnership. For your partnership, we sincerely thank you.” 

Since 2007, Y’ello Care has seen MTNers lend their time, hands, skills and care to  communities in each of their markets. This year, from 1 to 21 June, they turned their  focus to health, under the theme “Expanding Equitable Health for Every  Community”. According to Africa CDC and McKinsey, Africa carries about a quarter  of the global disease burden but only 3% of the world’s health workforce, and the  gaps are widest in rural and underserved communities. 

6,384 MTNers from MTN’s operating companies, MoMo and Bayobab, MTN’s digital  infrastructure business, gave more than 50,000 volunteer hours to healthcare  initiatives that reached more than 400,000 people. 

MTN Eswatini was named overall winner for the fifth time. Working with the Luke  Commission, it extended a medical drone network to a remote clinic, cutting the  delivery of medicine from up to four hours by road to as little as 30 minutes. 

MTN Benin received the Francophone Region Award for a campaign built with the  Ministry of Health, which included a national blood donation drive, surgery for  children awaiting care and the renovation of a hospital dispensary. 

MTN Uganda received the SEAGHA Region Award for maternal and child health  work in four districts, including smartphones and digital skills for community health  workers.

Bayobab won the Platform Business Award for a campaign across eight markets  that used connectivity to strengthen health facilities, including a telehealth network  linking a hospital and two primary healthcare centres in Nigeria. 

Winning teams were joined on stage by representatives of their diplomatic missions,  in recognition of the partnerships that made the work possible. 

Fourteen awards were presented in all, and every operating company and platform  business that took part was recognised. 

MTN Group Chief Sustainability and Corporate Affairs Officer Nompilo Morafo said  the strongest initiatives went beyond once-off support: they listened first, worked  alongside governments and development partners, and strengthened existing  health systems. 

“Expanding access to healthcare is not only a health imperative; it is essential to  education, skills development, inclusion and sustainable growth,” said Morafo. “I am  deeply grateful to every MTNer who gave their time and skills, and to the health  workers, governments and communities who made this work possible. These awards  recognise what they achieved."