Africa’s largest telecommunications company, MTN, has reduced the number of its expatriates working in its Nigerian subsidiary from over 300 in 2002, to eight in 2016, which represents about 85 per cent cut.
The network operator said the reason for the downsizing of its expatriate staff was to empower its Nigerian workforceand encourage the country, which is its largest African market where its bulk revenue is generated.
Chief Executive Officer of MTN Nigeria, Mr. Ferdinard Moolman, made this known recently while stating the position of MTN in the alleged repatriation of $13.9 billion out of Nigeria without authorisation, before the Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance and other Financial Institutions in Abuja.
According to him, MTN would continue to empower its Nigerian workforce and that over 90 per cent of the current executive management staff of MTN Nigeria, are Nigerians.
Moolman said till date, MTN has employed over 500,000 Nigerians directly and indirectly in the MTN services and distribution chain.
Speaking on MTN’s investments in Nigeria, Moolman said the telecoms company has contributed over N1.8 trillion to the Nigeria government, by ways of taxes, levies and sundry regulation payments, since it commenced operations in Nigeria in 2001.
Part of the N1.6 trillion investment details, show that MTN has paid duties on equipment of over N87 billion; duties on stock of over N12 billion; VAT on revenue of over N299 billion; VAT on operating expenses of over N48 billion; employee tax of over N31 billion; company income tax of over N486 billion, among other taxes and investments, totaling over N1.6 trillion, since it commenced operations in Nigeria in 2001.
Moolman said aside the N1.6 trillion investments, MTN also invested over N18 billion in MTN Foundation in executing corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects across 771 local governments in the country, in the areas of education, health and economic empowerment in the six geo-political zones of the country, and that over N10 billion has been invested to date to support SIM card registration exercise in the country, thus helping to build a national identity database for Nigeria.
He said the telco has been privileged to contribute to the development of ICT in Nigeria since 2001 when the right enabling environment was created by the Nigerian government to attract investment into the ICT industry.
