MTN Graduates Earn Spot At UN Leaders’ Summit In New York

There are only five years left to accomplish the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations, and now more than ever is the need for acceleration. Globally, progress is still unequal, and Africa in particular faces urgent issues with safety, youth unemployment, and inequality.

In order to showcase innovative business-led solutions that can contribute to speedier development, the UN Global Compact held its annual SDG Innovation Accelerator Programme during the UN General Assembly.

MTN’s graduate team, representing South Africa, was chosen as one of just two African teams to showcase their innovation at the UN Global Compact Leaders’ Summit in New York, where they received top honors.

Their idea, an AI-powered solution to safeguard kids online, directly addresses the concerning increase in digital harms, as evidence of child sexual abuse has increased by over 6000 percent worldwide and cyberbullying has increased by 450 percent.

The goal of the approach is to protect kids from predators, restrict their exposure to dangerous material, and lessen cyberbullying. In addition to supporting SDG 3 on health and well-being, it directly advances SDG 16.2 on preventing child abuse, exploitation, and violence.

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The significance of momentum was emphasized by Dr. Achieng Ojwang, Executive Director of UN Global Compact South Africa.

“The Accelerator gave us the chance to show that African ideas can help accelerate progress on the SDGs. Representing South Africa at the UN reinforced that our generation has the power to shape a safer digital future.”

“Being part of a global platform reminded me that Africa’s voice must not only be heard it must lead. YelloGuard may be a modest innovation today, but its potential to safeguard millions of children across the continent is profound.” Ziyanda Thomas said.

This recognition not only highlights MTN’s commitment to youth empowerment but also underlines Africa’s pivotal role in driving the acceleration needed to achieve the UNSDGs by 2030.

Credit: MTN Group