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MTN group CEO Ralph Mupita is on his first working visit to Nigeria since taking office in September 2020, the company announced on Thursday.
Nigeria is the company's largest market and it where pan-African telecommunications firm has faced several challenges, including difficulty in repatriating cash. The company said in May it had struggled to take out R4.3 billion in dividends from Nigeria due to challenges securing foreign currency in that country.
The operator has also been impacted by the Nigerian government's directive to telecoms operators to register mobile phone users, amid concerns that unregistered SIM cards are being used by criminals and insurgents. The process slashed MTN's subscriber numbers, but the company said it had made good progress with the verification of users.
Mupita is accompanied by the group chief financial officer Tsholo Molefe on this three-day visit. The company said in a statement the leaders together with their Nigerian counterparts would be meeting with "select partners and key stakeholders in the country".
"This visit demonstrates MTN’s continued commitment to supporting the socioeconomic development of Africa’s largest economy," said MTN Nigeria chairperson Ernest Ndukwe.
Mupita, who was the company's chief financial officer before replacing his predecessor, Rob Shuter, described Nigeria as one of the company's "most important markets".
