The third cohort of the MTN Media Innovation Programme (MIP) on Friday called for an extension of the programme to benefit more journalists.
The Vice President of the third cohort, Juliet Tontoye, made this request during an engagement with the Chief Digital Officer of MTN Nigeria, A’isha Mumuni.
A statement made available to newsmen in Lagos said that the MTN Media Innovation Fellows advocated for an extension of the fellowship after the three-year pilot phase.
“When we share our experiences with our colleagues at our respective media houses, we realize that the programme’s benefits and impact are easier to experience than to explain.
“In the past three months, MIP has been such an eye-opening journey; it is a fellowship every media professional needs to experience. MTN has been such a wonderful host, and we know this costs millions of Naira,” Tontoye said.
According to Tontoye, the fellows believe that the programme will have a profound impact on their colleagues.
The Chief Corporate Services and Sustainability Officer, Tobe Okigbo, revealed that the funds allocated to the MIP were initially intended to celebrate MTN’s milestone anniversary. He said that the MIP was conceived in 2021, during MTN’s 20th anniversary.
Okigbo explained that the original plan was to celebrate the milestone with a lavish party hosting various 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. MTN then committed to instituting the programme for three years as a pilot, beginning in 2022,” he said.
The MTN Media Innovation Programme (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.
Currently in its third cohort, the programme has successfully trained 40 fellows in partnership with the School of Media and Communication, Pan-Atlantic University.
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, and the Department of Foreign Affairs in Pretoria.
It is aimed at assessing the gains and losses of the Nigerian-South African bilateral relations and the role of the media in Pan-Africanism.
