African Genius Scholarship Recipients Announced....The MTN Solution Space At The UCT GSB Announces The Class Of 2016

By Jehan Bedford

Cape Town - The MTN Solution Space Class of 2016 at the UCT Graduate School of Business (GSB) has been announced following a rigorous selection process.

Seven African innovators were named the worthy recipients of scholarships for the MBA/MPhil programme, offered by the MTN Solution Space.

Initiated in 2014 through a partnership with MTN and the GSB, the MTN Solution Space is an innovation hub based at the business school, aimed at boosting sustainable innovation in Africa and addressing the continent’s social and economic challenges.

In line with this objective, the MTN Solution Space scholarship opportunity dubbed #AfricanGenius, was extended to innovators across the continent through a social media campaign last year. The seven scholarship recipients were selected based on their clear vision for the future, track record of action and leadership potential. They are:

  • Akshay Seebaluck: Cyber Security Specialist
  • Bradwin Sitzer: Automation Engineer and Life Coach
  • Lianne du Toit: Hackathon Evangelist
  • Khwezi Kondile: Strategy Consultant
  • Malcolm Rees: Investigative Journalist
  • Rudzani Mulaudzi: Edutech Entrepreneur
  • Walter Lindop: Health Analytics Specialist

“We are incredibly excited to have these promising and talented individuals on board and to be part of their journey to become Africa’s future leaders. Although they all have different backgrounds and interests, they all share our vision of pioneering real solutions for Africa. We are confident these committed agents of change will shape the future of our continent. We are also humbled and grateful for the support from our partner on this initiative – MTN – which is aligned with us on the potential of this continent and creating the opportunities which will propel Africa forward,” says Sarah-Anne Arnold, Manager of the MTN Solution Space.

MTN Group’s Chief HR and Corporate Affairs Officer, Paul Norman, echoed Arnold’s sentiments and reaffirmed MTN’s commitment to help find solutions to the challenges facing our continent.

“Our partnership with UCT GSB on the Solution Space is aimed at concretising MTN’s commitment to education and innovation as a means of boosting development on the continent, by fostering the next generation of technology entrepreneurs and leaders. We congratulate the scholarship recipients and look forward to seeing what the future holds for these bright and talented individuals,” says Norman.

The recipients will receive comprehensive support while completing the MBA or MPhil programme, including funding, mentors and access to business leaders.

For more information about these students or to witness their journey, follow MTN Solution Space on Social Media (facebook.com/uctgsbsolutions or Twitter: @uctgsbsolutions), where regular updates, articles and video interviews will be shared.

About the MTN Group
Launched in 1994, the MTN Group is a leading emerging market operator, connecting subscribers in 22 countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. The MTN Group is listed on the JSE Securities Exchange in South Africa under the share code: “MTN.” As of 30 September 2015, MTN recorded 233 million subscribers across its operations in Afghanistan, Benin, Botswana, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Cyprus, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Republic, Iran, Liberia, Nigeria, Republic of Congo (Congo-Brazzaville), Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, South Sudan, Swaziland, Syria, Uganda, Yemen and Zambia. Visit us at, www.mtnbusiness.com and www.mtn.com

About the MTN Solution Space:
Born out of a partnership between MTN and the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business, the MTN Solution Space is distinctly African. Started in 2014 as an African innovation hub, we seek to inspire, nurture and equip the next generation of African innovators to not only envision, but actually build a better future. Through our core values of learning, venturing and exchanging we create an environment where students, entrepreneurs and researchers alike can develop real, innovative solutions to the challenges facing Africa and its people. Our programme includes the pioneering Master of Philosophy course specialising in Inclusive Innovation – an interdisciplinary, research based degree aimed at the practical development of innovative business models, aligned to African markets.