Ebun Babalola
8 October 2008
Since its seven years of existence, MTN Nigeria has proved that it is not only spawned for profit motive but to create and add values to the Nigeria's socio-economic life.
By engaging Nigerian youths in all levels of employment opportunities, has also brought the company to its peak both in the Nigerian market and in the communication world.
In the process, the organisation has designed many business platforms including non-profit schemes and products with unequal value propositions to all subscribers within different demographic strata. Such value-enhancing platforms in the MTN kitty include XtraConnect, XtraPro and XtraCool. In addition, the MTN Foundation, has been in the forefront of economic empowerment and educational development programmes in all corners of Nigeria, essentially uplifting the lives of economically disadvantaged Nigerian youths.
However, the XtraCool brand has become one of the flagship brands from the stables of MTN, redefining the Nigerian youth culture as well as developing the entertainment industry. XtraCool which does not only promise fun, music down load, concert and convergence among its value propositions for its subscribers, also has become a platform through which Nigerian youths now exploit, to realise their dreams and aspirations in the field of music and entertainment.
Speaking with the Xtracool brand manager, Mr. Kelvin Orifa disclosed that the MTN XtraCool brand creates opportunities not only for youths with virgin talents in musical craft to blossom, it also allows its subscribers to download full musical tracks of prominent local and international artistes as well as allowing its subscribers have access to free midnight talk.
According to him, the innovation adopted by MTN has added qualities to the entertainment industry thereby giving to other upcoming artists.
In the same vein, the MTN Xtracool, has bought one of the best TV reality and global youth oriented talent hunt entertainment shows, Project Fame to West Africa in conjunction with Endemol and Ultima.
He noted that the project has been one of the many successful ways of stirring up youth empowerment all over the world through a reality musical challenge and performances.
"It has over the years enjoyed a variety of organisations, conceptions and competitions from one country or continent to another. "
According to him, "The Project Fame concept started several years back in the Netherlands and has been adopted in many European countries as a way of boosting the human capital development of the younger breeds and creating an avenue for the fulfilment of their dreams and also creating a figure of stardom out of them."
"Through MTN's various sponsored musical programmes on radio, talents hunts musical shows and mega concerts, many Nigerian budding musical talents that have today become entertainment icons have used the platform to rise and empower themselves economically. Among such artistes are 2Face Idibia, Sunny Nneji, Femi Kuti, African China, Sasha, Style Plus, Dare Art-Alade, 9ice, who had been promoted nationwide through various XtraCool programmes, including Yello Fest, Y'ello Top 10 and Y'ello Find Your Voice, among others."
Other XtraCool programmes that create socio economic opportunities for Nigerian budding artistes are Y'ello TV on Channel O, which was on for one year promoting Nigerian and other African artistes across Africa, the annual, MTN Soundcity Campus Blast that goes round major campuses, the recently concluded MTN XtraCool Tour with 2Face and Friends, where several Nigerian upcoming artistes joined 2Face with MTN to storm major towns and cities across the country for musical concerts and visits to motherless babies home to donate gifts.
Outstanding among several XtraCool-sponsored youth events was the MTV/MTN VJ Search where four Nigerian youths were able to showcase their talents and become economically empowered with millions of naira, car prizes and contract for a musical show presentation on MTV Africa. Today, the four MTV/MTN VJ Search finalists have become showbiz impresario.
They have developed career in showbiz and are making a living on it. Among them are the winner, Cynthia Okpala and Wale Akinjogbin, who now grace many superlative social events as masters of ceremonies. Akinjogbin, who relocated to Lagos from Abuja after clinching the XtraCool prizes, is also a frontline reporter and presenter for Hip TV. While one of the other two finalists Miss Bimbo Ademujimi is using her financial resources from MTN XtraCool to complete a law degree at Igbinendion University, Benin.
As the trend continues, most of these artistes are playing their part in building the country's economy in their own ways. Their musical success has also impacted positively on the growth of the entertainment industry, attracting foreign and local investments in the sector and setting positive economic prospects for the country.
Undoubtedly, the advent of the MTN Project Fame West Africa is going to be an avenue for the formation of musical stars who will excel in their music career and then join the league of stars who are making meaningful contributions to the country's economic development through their business investment and entrepreneurship, Orifa said.
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