BBC World Service has entered into a partnership with MTN Nigeria to deliver BBC News Minute bulletins.
They will be offered free of charge to subscribers of the myMTN App in English, Hausa, Igbo, Pidgin and Yoruba.
This is the first time an international news organisation will feature in the MyMTN App.
Commenting on the development, Oluwatoyosi Ogunseye, head of West Africa Languages, BBC World Service, said: “This partnership with MTN is at the core of the BBC’s commitment to reaching audiences wherever they may be. It is one of the ways in which the BBC is demonstrating its commitment to Nigeria and we are thrilled about this new engagement with young audiences in this country”.
Srinivas Rao, chief digital officer, MTN Nigeria, added: “We are proud of this partnership. It is one of the ways we offer young Nigerians more channels to consume relevant information. In an era where fake news spread easily especially through social media, credible platforms like this make a lot of difference”.
Kolawole Oyeyemi, general manager, customer experience, said: “It is also a demonstration of our passion to deliver the best customer experience possible to our customers who use myMTNApp so they have relevant and authentic news they can use on-the-go completely free of charge”.
Mary Lusiba, head of African business development, BBC World Service, said: “This exciting deal will raise brand and awareness of BBC World Service for young consumers. It will build on the well-established reputation of the BBC for quality news and information and reach out to a new generation of Nigerians. The launch is timely as content will also update audiences on the Covid-19 pandemic in Africa”.
MTN Nigeria connects over 64 million people in communities across the country with each other and the world. It has established an active community on the myMTN app with over 4 million monthly active users.