MTN Nigeria Appoints Five New Directors, Including Governance Expert Prof Ajogwu

MTN Nigeria Communications Plc has strengthened its board with the appointment of five experienced professionals, effective December 1, 2026, in a move the telecommunications giant says will inject deep expertise into its governance and strategic oversight.

The appointments, disclosed in a November 3 notification to the Nigerian Exchange Limited and the investing public signed by Company Secretary Uto Ukpanah, comprise two Independent Non-Executive Directors and three Non-Executive Directors. The company stated that the new directors bring a wealth of experience and expertise expected to enhance board effectiveness and support the company’s growth and future direction.

Professor Fabian Ajogwu, OFR, SAN, joins as a Non-Executive Director. A leading authority on corporate governance, Ajogwu is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Professor of Corporate Governance at Lagos Business School, and Senior Partner at KENNA LP. He has practised law for 35 years, including 17 years in the Inner Bar. He played a key role in shaping Nigeria’s corporate governance architecture, assisting the Securities and Exchange Commission in drafting the country’s pioneering Code of Corporate Governance and serving on the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria’s committee that produced the National Code of Corporate Governance 2018. He founded the Society for Corporate Governance Nigeria, is an honorary fellow of the Chartered Institute of Directors Nigeria and the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria, and has authored several books on the subject. His academic credentials include a PhD in Law from the University of Aberdeen, an MBA from IESE Business School in Barcelona, law degrees from the University of Nigeria and the University of Lagos, and studies at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford. He is also a recipient of the national honour of Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR).

Ibrahim Dikko and Boye Olusanya have been appointed Independent Non-Executive Directors. Dikko brings more than 30 years of experience spanning banking, telecommunications, information and communications technology, and regulatory advisory. He previously served as Chairman of First Securities Discount House Limited (2002–2012) and as Vice President for Regulatory and Corporate Affairs at Etisalat Nigeria (EMTS Limited) from 2007 to 2017.

Olusanya is Group Chief Executive Officer of FMN Holdings Limited. He has more than 25 years of executive leadership experience across telecommunications, technology, agriculture, infrastructure and financial services. He previously led Etisalat Nigeria through its transition to 9mobile.

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Imoni Akpofure and Lwazi Bam join as Non-Executive Directors. Akpofure is a seasoned infrastructure and development finance professional with nearly three decades of experience. She has held senior roles at the International Finance Corporation and CDC Group (now British International Investment) and currently serves on the boards of Africa50 and the Development Bank of Nigeria.

Bam is MTN Group’s Chief Risk Officer, a position he assumed on June 1, 2026. He previously served as Chief Executive Officer of Deloitte Africa from 2012 to 2022 and is the only appointee drawn from within the MTN Group.

The appointments come as MTN Nigeria continues to navigate a competitive telecommunications market while focusing on operational excellence, regulatory compliance and long-term growth. By bringing together specialists in law and governance, telecom regulation, multi-sector transformation, infrastructure finance and enterprise risk, the board is positioned to provide sharper strategic guidance in the period ahead.