MTN Rwanda CEO on COVID-19 & its impact on the company’s half-year results

MTN Rwanda CEO, Mitwa Kaemba Ng’ambi, recently shared insights on the company's revenue collection for the first half of 2020 in an interview with CNBC Africa. Ng’ambi emphasized the importance of infrastructure maturity in the digital growth landscape. She highlighted how infrastructure, tools like smartphones, tablets, and laptops, and programs like subsidy and finance initiatives are crucial for accelerating the penetration of digital solutions. Ng’ambi also stressed the significance of affordable digital solutions and digital literacy to make technology accessible to a wider population. As service providers, Ng’ambi mentioned the need for continuous innovation, citing mobile money as a key player in driving financial inclusion. Ng’ambi discussed the future of industries, noting the efficiency brought by digitalization and the rise of emerging SMEs post-pandemic. She identified digital players offering efficient solutions as the future of the industry.  When questioned about MTN Rwanda's revenue forecast for the second half of 2020, Ng’ambi acknowledged the impact of COVID-19 on their operations. She mentioned a 17% shortfall in mobile money revenue expectations in the first half due to fee waivers aimed at discouraging physical cash transactions. However, the company witnessed increased activity levels and adoption of mobile money services. Ng’ambi expressed optimism for the second half, expecting a 12% growth year-on-year. Despite the decrease from last year's 22% growth, Ng’ambi considered 12% growth as significant given the current circumstances. She attributed the positive outlook to the continued high levels of business activity and cautiously shared the company's focus on sustainable growth amidst the fluid situation.