Tag: MTN

Nigeria’s ambition to raise the contribution of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) to 21 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2027 will depend on policy stability, investor confidence, and flexible tariff regimes, MTN Nigeria’s Chief Executive Officer, Karl Toriola, has said.

He disclosed this during an interaction with students of the Media Innovation Programme (MIP) at the School of Media and Communications (SMC), Pan-Atlantic University (PAU), who visited the telco’s head office in Ikoyi on Thursday.

According to Toriola, the ICT sector has the potential to power Nigeria’s economy beyond the current 17.68 percent recorded in 2024, so long as policy reforms ensure regulatory stability, capital inflow, and operators’ ability to adjust pricing in line with inflation.

Emphasising that capital was fluid and unbiased, Toriola said willing investors would only take their funds where they were sure they would not be trapped, especially by unfavourable policies that stiffen the ease of doing business.

He commended the government of President Bola Tinubu for the steps taken so far to stabilise the exchange rate, as well as ongoing moves to remove multiple taxations, describing the steps as incentives for investors.

The federal government had announced the 21 percent GDP target at the maiden GITEX Nigeria 2025 in Lagos. Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, described ICT as the nation’s “new economic backbone,” stressing that it has already overtaken oil in economic contribution and must drive inclusive prosperity under President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

Toriola, however, warned that the sector’s growth could stall without an enabling environment. “Capital doesn’t care about passport colour; it seeks safe, predictable returns. If investors cannot repatriate funds, if rules change midstream, or if operators cannot rationally adjust pricing when inflation quadruples costs, then growth will stall,” he said.

He cited MTN’s experience in 2023, when the naira’s sharp depreciation from N450 to over N1,600 per dollar pushed operating costs fourfold while tariffs remained frozen.

“We ran losses and negative cash flow. Without pricing flexibility, no industry can be healthy,” he noted, adding that in advanced markets, operators routinely adjust tariffs in line with inflation.

Beyond policy, Toriola said MTN was making heavy infrastructure investments, citing the company’s unveiling of Phase 1 of the West African Data Centre. He said the 4.5MW centre would be expanded to 14MW and would become the largest in the region, and would localize cloud services for Nigerian users.

The operator is also rolling out fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) to reach 1.5 million homes in its first phase, with plans to extend nationwide.

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“In 2025 alone, we have earmarked N1 trillion in capex for radio, fibre, and resilience upgrades. Unlimited broadband at scale is what truly drives a digital economy,” he said

He acknowledged public concerns about service quality but insisted improvements would follow sustained investment.

MTN has also deepened collaborations with rivals to cut costs and expand coverage. The operator signed a framework with Airtel on infrastructure sharing and has a roaming deal with 9mobile, allowing its subscribers nationwide access to MTN’s 4G network. “It is pragmatic. It saves billions in upfront capex and supports competition, which ultimately benefits consumers,” he said.

To cushion FX volatility, Toriola said MTN reduced its dollar exposure in tower leases from 60 percent to 30 percent, while increasingly sourcing fibre locally. Although imported equipment still requires dollars, he maintained that the company has worked to limit future risks.

On device affordability, he dismissed claims that Nigerians cannot embrace broadband. “Voice-only handsets remain cheap, and 4G penetration is already above 56 percent among active data users. Five years ago, 5G handsets cost $1,000; today some are $70,” he said.

Toriola argued that widespread broadband access, like solar energy, is a life-changing investment. “Once you have connectivity at home, productivity rises—children can learn online, businesses run efficiently, and SMEs compete globally. The multiplier effect is why ICT must reach 21 percent of GDP,” he said.

MTN, one of Nigeria’s biggest taxpayers, is also funding infrastructure under the Road Infrastructure Tax Credit Scheme, including the dualisation of the Enugu–Onitsha Expressway, while building a new Lagos headquarters expected to become an iconic structure.

Ultimately, Toriola stressed that Nigeria’s ICT future will be decided less by technology than by policy choices. “Nigeria has the talent, the market, and the companies. What we need now is the enabling environment to unlock their full potential,” he said.

The Nigeria-South Africa Chamber of Commerce (NSACC) has praised MTN Nigeria’s role in strengthening bilateral economic relations and advancing digital infrastructure across Africa, during a courtesy visit to the telecom corporate office.

Led by Chairman Ije Jidenma, the Chamber delegation commended MTN’s $120 million investment in a new data centre, describing it as a bold commitment to Nigeria’s digital future and regional economic integration. She noted that MTN’s growth and leadership in financial inclusion through mobile money has positioned it as a continental force in digital transformation.

“We have seen MTN grow, develop, and transform, not only in Nigeria but across the continent,” Jidenma said, highlighting the company’s consistent support to the Chamber and its active role in deepening Nigeria–South Africa business relations.

Jidenma conveyed warm greetings from the Board and members of the Chamber, including Emeritus Chairman Foluso Phillips and Immediate Past Chairman Osayaba Giwa-Osagie. She underscored the importance of reconnecting with key partners as part of the Chamber’s strategy to enhance trade, investment, and policy engagement between both countries.

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The visit also acknowledged the contribution of MTN’s top executives, including Chief Corporate Services & Sustainability Officer Tobe Okigbo and General Manager of Corporate Communications Chineze Gbenga-Oluwatoye, to the Chamber’s activities and vision.

As NSACC marks its 25th anniversary, Jidenma announced plans to introduce new membership categories—including a Premium Category for large corporates and an SME-focused category—to better serve the needs of a diverse member base.

She said the Chamber is now focused on four strategic pillars: membership growth and engagement, brand visibility and influence, trade and investment opportunities, and advocacy and stakeholder engagement. MTN’s alignment with these goals, she noted, makes the telecoms provider a key player in future initiatives.

“As one of our most valued members and a leading symbol of South Africa–Nigeria partnership, we look forward to working with MTN to make this celebration not only memorable but transformational,” she stated.

The visit reaffirmed NSACC’s commitment to strengthening regional integration, leveraging corporate partnerships like MTN’s to catalyse broader economic growth across the continent.

Two leading telecom giants, MTN Nigeria and Airtel Africa which has its local unit, Airtel Nigeria, have reported revenue growth driven largely by the 50 per cent adjustment of end user tariffs of telecom services approved by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

While MTN Nigeria reported a 54.6 per cent growth in its service revenue posting to N2.4 trillion in the first half of this year, according to its financial results the period ended June 30, 2025, Airtel Africa posted revenues of $1,415million, a strong growth of 24.9per cent in constant currency and 22.4per cent in reported currency as currency headwinds continue to ease over the last three quarters, according to its results for quarter ended 30 June 2025.

While Airtel said the acceleration in constant currency revenue growth from the previous quarter reflected not only the impact of the tariff adjustments in Nigeria, but also a strong performance in Francophone Africa reflecting the continued execution of our strategy focused on the customer experience. MTN Nigeria said during the period, it completed the phased implementation of the new price adjustments across voice and data bundles, largely benefiting Q2, adding that the demand for its services remained resilient, which supported strong service revenue growth in the period under review.

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Airtel posted a profit after tax (PaT) of $156million which improved from $31million in the prior over the prior period which was significantly impacted by derivative and foreign exchange losses, primarily in Nigeria, while the current period benefitted from a $22million gain largely arising from the Central African franc (CFA) appreciation during the quarter.

MTN Nigeria reported a PaT of N414.9 billion, marking a strong recovery from the loss after tax of N519.1 billion recorded in the prior year. This turnaround reflects the successful delivery of the five strategic priorities outlined at the Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) held on 30 April 2024 to address its negative shareholders’ funds.

During the period under review, the two telcos saw an increase in subscriber figure with Airtel Africa’s total customer base growing by 9.0per cent to 169.4 million, with data customers increasing 17.4per cent to 75.6 million as the focus on bridging the digital divide across its markets continues. This, alongside a 4.3 per cent increase in smartphone penetration to 45.9per cent, contributed to accelerating demand for data services with data average revenue per user (ARPU) growth accelerating to 18.5per cent in constant currency as data usage across our network increased by 47.4per cent.

For MTN Nigeria, it maintained its leadership of the market as its subscribers increased by 6.7 per cent to hit 84.7 million, properly cementing its dominance of the market.

While its active data users increased by 11.8per cent to 51.0 million, its earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) increased by 119.5per cent to N1.2 trillion with EBITDA margin increasing by 15.0pp to 50.6per cent.

MTN Nigeria’s capital expenditure or capex, excluding leases, increased by 288.4per cent to N565.7 billion as the telco accelerated investments during the period under review while its free cash flow (FCF) of N409.8 billion, was up 18.0per cent.

Between January 2024 and last month, telecom giant, MTN Nigeria suffered over 13,700 fibre cuts which negatively impacted network operations.

Its Chief Technical Officer (CTO) Yahaya Ibrahim, during a study tour by participants of the fourth Media Innovation Programme (MIP-4), at the School of Media and Communication, Pan-Atlantic University, to MTN’s head office in Ikoyi, last week.

The Nation reports that vandalism of critical national infrastructures like telecommunications masts, fibre cables, generators and other accessories at any base station negatively impacts the digital economy.

It also causes significant financial, health, socio-economic and security losses to individuals, corporations and the country.

Shedding light on some of the challenges telco operators face in the country, the CTO said MTN for instance, records an average of 145 cable cuts daily as a result of vandalism or road construction/expansion activities.

While 9,000 of the incidents were recorded last year, Yahaya said between January and June this year, MTN suffered over 4,700 fibre cuts.

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A regional breakdown of these fibre cuts showed that southern Nigeria recorded 6,300 comprising 2,800 in the Southwest and 3,500 recorded in the southeast and south-south.

In the north, he said the company suffered 2,500 incidents.

“If we look at the cuts per region in the Southeastern and Southsouth states have more cuts and this is where we have the most hotspots for fibre and site vandalism.

“Akwa Ibom, Abia and Rivers stand out in states. While in specific locations Omoku and Egbema stand out for fibre vandalism.”

The CTO lamented that incessant fibre cuts were costing the company huge fortunes, revealing that a whooping N17.6 billion was spent to repair cuts in 2024, while N26.3 billion was budgeted for maintenance and relocation of cables once the need arises.

Yahaha said sabotage and road construction accounted for 69per cent of total fibre cuts across the country, noting that MTN has appealed to relevant authorities to notify it whenever there is road construction or expansion around its fibre routes so the cables are relocated promptly.

“Before we lay these fibres, we usually get authorisation from the government concern and we ensure that Right of Way (RoW) is respected. After laying them, we take the maps to them so they know the locations of these cables.

“This is to prevent network disruptions and downtimes which affect almost all sectors of the economy. On a monthly average, we recorded 15 hours of downtime. During this period, all services will be down, that means no one will be able to use any services,” he said.

To contain these challenges, MTN said it has deployed route patrol/monitoring; construction bypass; investing in diverse routes for resilience, relocation of fibre, stakeholder engagement (construction workers and authorities), as well as communities for effective policing.

He said the announced designation of telecommunications assets as critical national infrastructures (CNI) by the government was a welcome development, adding that it would bolster support from state forces.

Yahaha said there was a need for education and enlightenment of the masses on the importance of telecommunication services to Nigerians, and how disruptions affect the economic, social, political and security activities that are  dependent on it.

“This is how critical connectivity has become to Nigerians. When services are down people will not be able to do online bank transactions, the merchants/vendors that sell products online will not be able to sell.

“If there is a security risk in the household or area you will not be able to get help; the gamers or social media enthusiasts will not be able to use the applications, a sick person will not be able to call for help…

“I mean the consequences of not having connectivity are far reaching. Once we educate then we can go to enforcement. Safeguarding of telecoms infrastructure is the collective responsibility of everyone because of its importance to our daily lives.

“The designation is still new but interventions are in progress to fully operationalize the law,” he added.

Telecom company, MTN Nigeria, at the weekend in Lagos, said over 1,500 subscribers have shared N290 million in its promo tagged: MTN Mega Billion Promo.

This Mega Billion promo is one of such initiatives.”

Its Chief Marketing Officer, Onyinye Ikenna-Emeka, who spoke during a media parley with celebrating Life-Changing Moments the telco’s Rooftop Events Centre, Falomo, Ikoyi, Lagos,  said the promo has produced over 1500 winners to date, including three jackpot winners, 20 N5million winners, and over 100 N100,000 winners.

She said the promo was launched to reward and give back to loyal customers.

“In the last couple of years, it’s been a very tough time for the average Nigerian. And as a company that is committed to making our customers’ lives better, we consistently look for ways to achieve this. This Mega Billion promo is one of such initiatives.

 “We are extremely excited and proud of the visibility, excitement and the energy that has been created by this promo. Being here today is a testament to the progress we’ve made,” she said.

The event offered an opportunity to gauge the structure and impact of the campaign and was attended by representatives from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the Lagos State Lotteries and Gaming Authority and promo winners, alongside MTN executives.

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The event also spotlighted testimonials from some of the winners. One of the jackpot winners, Femi Yusuf, who won N10 million, shared his disbelief and eventual joy. “I feel very happy. Initially, I thought it was one of those promos that nothing comes out of it. Then, I watched the live draw. My wife was seated next to me and said ‘babe, is this not your number?’ Then I got the call from 300.” When asked if he’d received the money in his MoMo wallet, Yusuf responded, “Fast and fast. MTN, no scam.”

The major highlight of the event was the winners announcement, Saturday winners were selected from a draw conducted earlier in the day. In a moment, a woman, Motunrayo, who won N2 million was contacted live during the event. Reacting in disbelief, she said: “Wow! I’m so grateful and I’m so happy to have won this N2million. I’m really grateful. Thanks so much.”

Senior Manager, Consumer Segment (Mass Market) at MTN Nigeria, Debo Agun, broke down how the promo works. “Typical promos in Nigeria, customers are made to pay for it. But for this promo, there’s nothing like that. All that is required of you as a customer is to dial *900#. This is for you to opt in and also a form of consent. The promo runs for a period of 90 days.” The promo kicked off on June 23.

Agun further explained that 63 winners are selected daily from Monday to Friday. Daily and weekly draws are held. Daily prizes range from twenty-five thousand naira to five million naira, while Saturdays are even bigger, with 104 winners and a ten million naira jackpot up for grabs.

On Saturdays, other cash prizes include N25,000, N50,000, N75,000, N100,000, N500,000, N1million, and N2million. Winners receive their money paid directly into their MoMo wallets. Participants are required to have a MoMo account, which can be opened by dialing *671#.

Every N100 airtime recharge equals one entry, so a N500 recharge counts as five entries. Customers can also win more than once. “It’s not a one-off win. You could win N500,000 today and N1 million or N5 million in another draw,” said Agun.

The promo is managed by independent partners to ensure winners are chosen fairly and maintain credibility. Daily draws are streamed live on Instagram,

YouTube, and Facebook; and winners are notified via MTN Call Center on 300. With more draws ahead, MTN continues to demonstrate transparency and reward participation, reinforcing public trust in the initiative.