According to a TechCentral report, the MTN South Africa Foundation will pick ten black women-owned information and communications technology (ICT) and digital businesses for the fifth edition of its Women in Digital Business Challenge. Each winner will receive a grant of R100 000 and a package of business-development support, meaning the foundation is committing a total of R1 million to the cohort.
The announcement matters most to women entrepreneurs who run small-scale tech firms and are looking for capital, mentorship and market access. For a typical start-up that struggles to secure bank financing, a grant of this size can cover the cost of a new server, a marketing campaign or the hiring of a junior developer. The programme also promises a business needs analysis, a systematic review of where a company’s operations could be improved, followed by skills training, mentorship and opportunities to connect with larger buyers.
Arthur Mukhuvha, general manager of the MTN Foundation, said women-owned businesses have an important role in South Africa’s economic development. “Entrepreneurship remains one of the most powerful drivers of innovation, job creation and economic inclusion. Through the Women in Digital Business Challenge, we are helping women-owned ICT businesses access the support, networks and opportunities needed to grow sustainably and realise their full potential,” he said. This is a direct statement from MTN and therefore reflects the company’s own view, not an independently verified outcome.
What the challenge offers
The challenge is run in partnership with the EBL Institute of Business and Technology, the Datacomb Development Hub and the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA). Participants will start with a needs analysis to pinpoint the most pressing gaps, for example, weak sales processes or limited technical capacity. From there, they receive business and skills development workshops, mentorship from experienced ICT leaders and introductions to potential customers or investors.
Since its launch in 2022, the challenge has backed 40 women-owned businesses across South Africa through two implementation streams. Those businesses report creating or sustaining 173 jobs, 98 of them held by women, and generating more than R14.7 million in revenue. The figures are self-reported by the participating firms, so they remain claims until independently audited.
One of the earlier beneficiaries, Charged Up Group, was founded by Ntsako Mahlaule and took part in the 2024 edition. The company says the programme helped it win bulk orders, expand its customer base, hire an additional staff member and move to a larger premises. It also secured a partnership with Forbes Africa. Again, this is a claim made by Charged Up Group and has not been verified by a third party.
For SME owners, the challenge illustrates a growing trend in South Africa: large corporations are creating targeted funds to address the gender gap in the tech sector. The government’s National Development Plan highlights digital inclusion as a priority, and private-sector initiatives like MTN’s are filling a financing void that traditional lenders often leave open for women-led start-ups.
From a practical standpoint, the timing of the launch, Monday, 14 September 2026 in Mbombela, Mpumalanga, gives interested firms a clear deadline to apply and prepare. The grant amount, while modest compared with venture-capital rounds, is unrestricted, meaning winners can allocate it where they see the greatest need. Combined with the mentorship and market-access components, the package aims to reduce the typical “cash-plus-knowledge” barrier that many small ICT firms face.
Overall, the programme does not guarantee commercial success, but it does provide a structured pathway for women-owned digital businesses to scale. For entrepreneurs weighing whether to apply, the key considerations are the relevance of the offered support to their current pain points and the credibility of the partners involved. If the business can leverage the grant to improve its operations and tap into new markets, the challenge could be a catalyst for growth.
