Fellows urge MTN not to stop media innovation programme

Fellows of the third cohort of the ongoing MTN Media Innovation Programme (MIP) have urged for an extension of the fellowship after the three-year pilot scheme.

They made the call in a recent engagement with the Chief Digital Officer (CDO) of MTN Nigeria, Aisha Mumuni.

Daily Trust reports that the MTN MIP is an annual fully funded fellowship for 20 media practitioners in Nigeria spread across six months.

The programme enhances participants’ knowledge and skills in media innovation helping them navigate the evolving media landscape and leverage technology to create impactful media content.

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Currently in its third cohort, the programme has successfully trained 40 fellows in partnership with the School of Media and Communication, Pan-Atlantic University (PAU).

The training includes in-class sessions, industry visits to innovation hubs, a 5G Demo Day hosted by Huawei, a tour of MTN facilities and study trips to South Africa.

The study trip includes classroom sessions at the University of Johannesburg, visits to leading media houses in South Africa, the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIA) and the Department of Foreign Affairs in Pretoria to assess the gains and losses of the Nigerian-South African Bilateral Relations and the role of the media in Pan-Africanism.

Conceived in 2021, during MTN’s 20th anniversary in Nigeria, the Chief Corporate Services and Sustainability Officer, Tobe Okigbo said that the funds allocated to MIP were initially intended to celebrate MTN’s milestone anniversary.

“The earlier plan was to celebrate our milestone with a lavish party hosting different celebrities. However, the company took a different direction when our communications team pitched the idea. We want you to better understand the information and communication technology (ICT) sector and the telecom industry,” Okigbo said.

MTN then committed to instituting the programme for three years as a pilot, beginning in 2022.

However, during an engagement with MTN Nigeria’s CDO, Aisha Mumuni, the MIP 3 fellows requested an extension of the program.

“When we share our experiences with our colleagues at our respective media houses, we realise that the programmes’ benefits and impact are easier to experience than explain. In the past three months, MIP has been such an eye-opening journey.

“It’s a fellowship every media professional needs to experience. MTN has been such a wonderful host and we know this costs millions of Naira. However, we believe it will have a profound impact on our colleagues,” Vice-President, MIP Cohort 3 Juliet Tontoye, said, while other fellows in separate comments backed the call for the extension beyond the three pilot cohorts.