Telecom
9mobile Appoints Ayodeji Adedeji as Chief Technical and Information Officer
The Board of Directors of Emerging Markets Telecommunication Services Limited (EMTS), operating as 9mobile, has approved the appointment of Ayodeji Adedeji as the new Chief Technical and Information Officer (CTIO) for the company.
This appointment is in line with its strategic business transformation agenda to bring new ideas, solutions, and capabilities towards delivering a robust network experience to its customers.
Adedeji is a seasoned leader with over 25 years of industry experience in Network Operations, Network Architecture, Service Delivery Management, and Network Design and Planning. His expertise spans 4G, 5G, and IP technologies, including Data Centers, with experience spanning Europe, The Caribbean, USA and Africa.
He joins 9mobile from Airtel Nigeria where he was the General Manager, Network Services, and led a team of over 100 people overseeing Circuit Switched and Packet Switched Core Operations, BSS Nodes Operations, IN, and VAS Network Operations. He had successfully managed the implementation of VOLTE/IMS/5G Core NSA consisting of both Cloud Native and Vendor Proprietary equipment, and ensured network capacity across core nodes.
Commenting on the appointment of the new CTIO, 9mobile CEO, Obafemi Banigbe, said: “We’re excited to welcome Ayodeji to the 9mobile family. His appointment marks a pivotal moment in 9mobile’s technical and engineering innovation journey. It is a major part of our business transformation process which has also seen the recent appointment of Abolaji Idowu as the Chief Finance Officer (CFO)”.
Banigbe highlighted the positive impact Adedeji will bring to scaling the 9mobile network and providing good Quality Service to its customers. “We are confident that his experience in guiding companies through substantial growth and in navigating complex challenges will be beneficial to our organization.
“He will be an important member of our senior leadership team, providing direction as we continue to expand and execute our growth strategy,” he said.
Adedeji’s rich industry career has seen him rise through the ranks from Network Architect and Strategy to Network Design, Planning and Optimization, and Network Engineering, driving transformative growth at companies like Hargray Communications, Ericsson, Etisalat Nigeria, and most recently, Airtel Nigeria.
Additionally, he has been responsible for business continuity, enterprise planning, and network security, leading to ISO 23001 certification. Known for his passion for new technologies and innovation, Adedeji is committed to driving technological advancement and operational excellence.
Speaking on his new role, Adedeji said “I am honored to take on the role of Chief Technical and Information Officer and excited to collaborate with the talented team at 9mobile to drive innovation, harness technology, and deliver impactful solutions that will propel growth.
“My focus will be to drive a digital-first, customer-centric approach across all our operations by delivering a world-class digital and technology infrastructure to accelerate the growth of the network and bring delight to our customers.”
He holds a BSc in Electrical Engineering (Digital Telecommunications) from the University of Lagos, Nigeria. He has also undergone extensive training in Project Management, Service Excellence, Network Technologies, Disaster Recovery, AWS Cloud, and is a Mini MBA graduate from Tekedia Institute.
As Chief Technical and Information Officer, Adedeji will provide strategic leadership for the Technical and IT teams, overseeing the technological direction of the organization and driving automation and innovation across the IT lifecycle. He will focus on the IT infrastructure, systems, and digital strategies to align with the organization’s strategic vision in expanding technology for growth and operational excellence.
MTN Nigeria’s commitment to digital innovation took center stage at MarkHack 4.0, the annual marketing and technology conference held at Landmark Event Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, on Friday, May 23, 2025, with the theme ‘Experience Ignited: Fueling the Customer’s Journey’.
L-R: Akinbulejo Onabolu, Head, Enterprise Segment, MTN Nigeria; Eneyi Obi, Global Chief Marketing Officer, Rise; Tobi Olanisimi, Marketing Manager, AB InBev; Martha Kayode, Marketing Head, PZ Cussonz; Sulaiman Shaibu, CEO, BFT Consulting Service and Daniel Adeyemi, Managing Editor, Condia Business at the MarkHack 4.0 Conference held at the Landmark Event Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos on Friday, May 23, 2025.
In a celebration of innovation, technology, and storytelling, the company also took home the award for Best Use of Data in a Marketing Campaign at the Nigeria MarTech (MarkHack 4.0) Awards Night. This award recognizes brands that have successfully transformed data into compelling narratives and actionable insights to meaningfully engage their audiences.
Akinbulejo Onabolu, Senior Manager, Segment Management, Enterprise Business at MTN, joined a panel to discuss the power of immersive technologies on consumer behaviour. Drawing from MTN’s launch of its 5G Digital Experience Centre in Abuja last year, Onabolu highlighted the rapid evolution of immersive technologies such as Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) stating “Our 5G centre is a sandbox for our customers to come and see how technology can shape things. At the launch event, we unveiled a smart city to customers, clients and dignitaries in attendance, with gaming and other tech experiences.”
On the intersection of data, AR and VR, he added: “Co-creating with MTN takes our minds to a platform where different partners, companies and creators can bring their buildings, products and businesses for people to see via augmented reality and connectivity, just swiping through and following through that journey.
“As a part of impacting our customer’s lives, a few years ago, we also played around with the Metaverse and we ended up creating some of our back-office processes with some of our customer journeys on augmented reality and virtual reality such that a customer somewhere can engage with a virtual agent to solve real life problems and integrating that back into our operating systems. As an organization, at a lot of our events, you will find a lot of AR and VR experiences.”
Speaking on how MTN is embedding immersive technology into its day-to-day operations, he explained that the company is prioritizing both internal capability development and external engagement. “85% of our organization has undergone extensive training on AI and that already is a great addition to our daily lives. We’re using it to do things differently, developing user journeys and brainstorming different things. In terms of Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality, we are working with organizations to develop training programs which we use internally.”
He described the bases for this tech as stable connectivity, high bandwidth, high speed and low latency. “Over the past year, we’ve doubled our 5G capacity across the entire country. Wherever you are, you’ll probably start to pick up 5G. With our FibreX service, we’re going way beyond connectivity to create the systems and platforms to support the ecosystem, AR and VR. In addition to this, we’re also engaging regulatory systems to start to tease this out and build the proper governance.”
The session, moderated by Daniel Adeyemi, Managing Editor at Condia Business, also featured insights from leaders in FMCG, consulting, and global marketing, all underscoring the transformative potential of immersive technologies for Africa’s future.
MTN Nigeria has announced a massive capital expenditure (CAPEX) drive for 2025, nearly doubling its investment to almost 900 billion Naira, as it seeks to significantly enhance network service quality in major cities like Lagos and Abuja and extend improvements to other areas.
Karl Toriola
This financial commitment, up from a combined total of approximately 440 billion Naira spent in 2023 and 2024, was detailed by MTN Nigeria CEO, Dr. Karl Toriola, during a recent interview on Arise TV.
Toriola highlighted that a key focus of the increased CAPEX will be on “putting additional capacity in a city like Lagos, particularly in Abuja, where you have a lot of buildings coming up, you need additional sites because there are coverage issues.”
Beyond these critical urban centres, the investment aims to bolster network resilience and ensure power stability for its infrastructure nationwide. This includes proactively addressing site outages by ensuring timely payment for operational necessities such as diesel for generators, a persistent challenge in the Nigerian operating environment
The CEO outlined the comprehensive nature of the upgrade process, which involves “placing orders formally, opening letters of credit, and then the equipment gets shipped in and installed.” He added that where necessary, MTN will be “acquiring new sites” and “laying fiber to the base station to create better stability.”
While the immediate CAPEX is geared towards improving existing service quality and capacity, this investment aligns with MTN’s broader goals, which include enhancing financial inclusion in underserved rural areas, suggesting a long-term vision for network expansion and service improvement that extends beyond metropolitan areas.
Customers are expected to begin experiencing the positive impact of these investments with a “significant improvement in quality of service” anticipated by the end of the second quarter or early in the third quarter of 2025, according to Toriola.
Airtel Nigeria, telecom service provider, has announced that its AI-powered Spam Alert Service issued over 9.6 million spam alerts between March 13 and May 20, 2025.
As part of its ongoing commitment to protecting customers from unwanted and potentially fraudulent communications, Airtel designed the AI Spam Alert service to analyze traffic patterns and detect anomalies.
In the period since launch the AI pinpointed a total of 9,667,008 SMS as potential spam messages in the two months after its launch.
Of these, the system identified 528,080 on-net (Airtel-to-Airtel) and 9,138,928 off-net (from other networks) numbers as suspected spam messages, demonstrating the scale of the threat and Airtel’s advanced processing capability.
Airtel Nigeria is a subsidiary of Airtel Africa.
Commenting on this development, Dinesh Balsingh, CEO, Airtel Nigeria, restated Airtel`s commitment to protecting its customers.
“This milestone demonstrates the strength of our AI-driven infrastructure in combating the growing menace of spam and scam calls. At Airtel Nigeria, we are focused on connecting Nigerians and ensuring their safety and confidence while using our network.
“We understand that trust is the cornerstone of digital communication. That’s why we’ve invested heavily in intelligent systems that not only detect potential threats but also learn and evolve with data. As threats become more sophisticated, so will our solutions. As a company, we remain focused on leading the industry in innovation and customer satisfaction, ensuring that every Nigerian can enjoy a safer and smarter digital experience,” Mr. Balsingh said.
The Spam Alert Service is part of Airtel Nigeria’s broader strategy to integrate artificial intelligence into its core offerings to deliver smarter and safer experiences for its customers across the country.
Recall that the Spam Alert Service was launched on March 13, 2025. A groundbreaking and free solution from Airtel, it notifies users in real-time of suspected spam SMS messages by analyzing over 250 parameters.
The Airtel AI Spam Alert Service is available to all Airtel subscribers on smartphones and feature phones.
Firm Reports a 48% Increase in Malicious Packages Threatening Software Supply Chains
Senate Passes Harmonised Report on Tax Reform Bills
FG to Provide High-fibre Internet in 12 Universities by Year End
The Silent Killer of Great Companies: A Guide To Why Your Processes Will Break (and How to Fix Them)
EFCC Witness Admits Writing Off Arik Air’s $2.3M Debt Amid N76Bn Fraud Trial
E-Financial2 days agoEFCC Recovers over N20Bn Stolen by Hackers from 6 Banks in Nigeria
Telecom2 days agoEngr. Ikechukwu Nnamani Receives Two Prestigious @ABoICT Awards
Telecom2 days agoFG to Deploy 80 Percent of 7000 Telecom Towers to North
News2 days agoEFCC Recovers Funds, Arrests Suspects in N1.3 Trillion CBEX Crypto Fraud
E-Financial2 days agoPonzi Scheme Operators Risk N10m Penalty, Others- IST Chair
E-Financial2 days agoUBA Launches *919# Advance Top-Up Feature for Instant Access to Customers
E-Financial2 days agoCourt to Deliver Judgment in NIBSS’ Suit against CBN, Others over BVN Database Management
E-Business1 day agoNigeria Among Hotspots as Kaspersky Warns of Rising Ransomware Threat in Africa