MTN Nigeria Communications Plc has announced that women now constitute 41.4% of its leadership team, up from 38.7% in 2023—more than double the industry average.
In a statement on Thursday, the company said its 2024 Annual Report highlights significant progress in workplace inclusion, gender equality, and talent development under its ‘Ambition 2025’ strategy.
According to the report, women now make up 46.7% of the executive management team, cementing MTN Nigeria’s position as a frontrunner in gender diversity within the nation’s ICT sector.
“This progress is the result of deliberate efforts to empower women professionally,” the company stated.
Key initiatives include the ‘Women in Tech’ programme, which provides specialised training in high-demand areas such as cloud computing, software engineering, artificial intelligence, machine learning, data science, and cyber security. Another initiative, the ‘MTN Y’ello Mums Internship Programme’, supports young mothers returning to the workforce after career breaks.
Odunayo Sanya, Executive Director of the MTN Foundation, said modern businesses must be purpose-driven.
“While profitability remains the core of business, stakeholders also expect a demonstration of values and societal impact,” she said.
Echoing this, Uto Ukpanah, MTN’s Company Secretary, added: “By living out our values and ethos, we create opportunities for meaningful collaboration. Governance is evolving, and expectations for corporate accountability are higher than ever.”
Chief Executive Officer Karl Toriola noted that the company’s cultural transformation journey, initiated in 2021, has significantly enhanced employee engagement and business outcomes.
“It has directly strengthened our capacity to deliver strong performance and long-term stakeholder value,” he said.
The company also spotlighted recent recognitions: Sanya was named CSI Personality of the Year at the Nigeria Tech Innovation & Telecoms Awards (NTITA), while Ukpanah received the Global Corporate Secretary of the Year Award from the Corporate Secretaries International Association (CSIA).
