MTN Group this week hosted MTN Nigeria’s Board of Directors and Executive Committee in Johannesburg for a strategy retreat during which the leadership of the Group’s largest subsidiary reflected on its strategic priorities for the next three years.

The three-day working visit – hosted by MTN Group Chairman Mcebisi Jonas and MTN Group President and Chief Executive Officer Ralph Mupita – brought together for the first time in South Africa the boards and executive management teams of MTN Nigeria and MTN Group. The MTN Nigeria delegation was led by Chairman Ernest Ndukwe and CEO Karl Toriola.

During the trip, MTN Group and MTN South Africa held engagements attended by South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor and Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, as well as by Nigeria’s High Commissioner Muhammad Haruna Manta.

“Strong bi-national relationships between Nigeria and South Africa are critical for Africa’s progress,” said Jonas. “As MTN, we appreciate that our own progress cannot happen without the two nations building stronger and stronger ties and providing leadership to the continent.”

Mupita said MTN Nigeria represented approximately 40% of the value of MTN Group, and as such its achievements were key to the success of the Group: “As MTN Group, we are committed to supporting the business and ensuring that its success goes beyond just strong operational and financial performance, but also represents success for all stakeholders.”

“Initiatives such as extending rural broadband, driving financial inclusion from MTN Nigeria’s Payment Services Banking licence and ensuring further localisations remain critical for success and sustainability,” he added.

Jonas said MTN Nigeria was in good hands under the direction of Chairman Ndukwe and CEO Toriola. The MTN Nigeria leadership said that among the many discussions held in Johannesburg were how to navigate the unprecedented macro challenges that businesses across the world faced, as well as looking for the opportunities that these changes provided.

The MTN Nigeria leadership’s visit follows that of MTN Group’s Board of Directors and Executive Committee to Lagos in early July, when they held their own strategy retreat.

One of the four strategic priorities of MTN’s Ambition 2025 is to ‘create shared value’. Regularly engaging with our key stakeholders is essential for us to deliver on this priority.