Telecom
How MTN is Improving Broadband Penetration in Nigeria
The internet has revolutionized communications. It has improved interactive communication and accelerated globalization. Its ubiquity is visible in every aspect of our day-to-day lives, changing the way we interact in the workplace, at home, school, and other areas of human endeavors. An internet connection is a necessity and not a luxury.
L-R – General Manager Sales, LandAfrique, Mr. Phillip Obih; General Manager, Enterprise Sales, MTN Nigeria, Bukola Akande; Chief Executive Officer, LandAfrique Group, Paulo Cruz; Chief Operating Officer, MTN Nigeria, Mazen Mroue and General Manager, Fixed Broadband, MTN Nigeria, Onyinye Ikenna-Emeka at the signing ceremony between LandAfrique and MTN Nigeria for Fiber optic deployment in Agbara Estate
The internet has also witnessed great transformation over the years. In its early days, it was a static network designed to shuttle a small freight of bytes or a short message between two terminals. Today, however, large quantities of information are uploaded and downloaded over the internet, enabling individuals to create content, and communicate with each other.
According to Digital Council Africa, fibre internet subscriptions have surged by over 168% in the past five years, with 1.6 million endpoints registered by 2020. Fibre-optic internet is a broadband connection that can reach speeds of up to 940 Megabits per second (Mbps), with low lag time. It can send data as fast as about 70% the speed of light.
In furtherance of its commitment to expanding broadband access across Nigeria, MTN Nigeria revealed earlier this year plans to invest 640 billion naira (approximately $1.5 billion) over the next three years to expand broadband access. This is in line with the Nigerian federal government’s 2020-2025 National Broadband Plan and in support of the MTN Group strategy, Ambition 2025: Leading digital solutions for Africa’s progress.
At a recently concluded groundbreaking exercise in Akwa Ibom state, MTN Nigeria, in partnership with the state government, unveiled its newly installed fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network in Dakkada luxury estate to ensure reliable and affordable internet connectivity for residents.
At the foundation laying ceremony, performed by his Excellency, the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, the estate which is said to be strategic for business owners, was borne out of the need to provide low-density housing units to the people. The luxury housing estate will have modern amenities, including back-up-gas powered electricity, and a water treatment plant certified by the World Health Organisation (WHO) amongst others.
The event was also attended by the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, his excellency, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, members of the State and National Assembly, Captains of Industries, Ministers, and Traditional rulers.
In a similar vein, the telecom giant has also partnered with Landafrique, an integrated real estate firm to deploy fibre-optic infrastructure to connect homes and businesses in Agbara Estate.
The agreement was signed at a formal ceremony held at MTN Nigeria’s Headquarters in Ikoyi on November 17, 2021, and had in attendance, MTN management led by the Chief Operating Officer, Mazen Mroue and accompanied by the General Manager, Enterprise Sales, Bukola Akande and General Manager, Fixed Broadband, Onyinye Ikenna-Emeka, as well as representatives from Landafrique Nigeria Limited, including the CEO, Paulo Cruz, Phillip Obih, General Manager, Sales, Landafrique and the General Manager, Agbara Estate Properties, Moshood Oyebode.
The partnership spans 10 years, and covers the deployment of MTN FibreNet Broadband internet services with at least 5Mbps and internet throughput to each housing unit; as well as industrial and commercial units within the estate.
Commenting on the partnership, the Chief Operating Officer, MTN Nigeria, Mazen Mroue, said the technology allows for increased network performance, as well as higher speeds over a long distance.
“At MTN, we believe that everyone deserves the benefits of a modern connected life. The installation of the MTN FibreNet Broadband in Agbara Estate will ensure that residents are always connected with incredible speeds, leading to increased performance either at work or at home.”
Fibernet assures that wherever you are, you are always connected with speed, enabling you to achieve so much more in a shorter time. The fibre-to-the-home allows for multiple upgrades without having to replace the fiber. If you or your business needs high bandwidth, a dedicated fibre link is the best option as it helps to ensure high-speed connectivity to transfer high volumes of data.
The Fibre-to-the-home network will promote high-speed internet penetration and ensure high-speed internet penetration in Nigeria.
MTN’s support for Nigeria’s plans to secure 90% broadband population coverage by 2025 aligns with the company’s belief that everyone deserves the benefits of modern connected life. MTN is working to extend digital and financial inclusion across Africa, while also positively contributing to the socio-economic wellbeing of the people.
Irvine Partners, the woman-led, African-born creative communications agency operating across Nigeria, has cemented its position as a disruptive force on the global stage following a landmark week of international industry recognition for its CEO and founder, Rachel Irvine.
Rachel-Irvine-CEO-Irvine-Partners
Irvine has been named to Campaign UK’s prestigious 40 over 40 list for 2026, while simultaneously earning a place on PRovoke Media’s Innovator 25 EMEA index – two of the communications industry’s most closely watched honours, secured in the same week. The achievement places her among the most influential and progressive communications leaders across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
For Nigeria – Africa’s largest economy and one of its most competitive and complex communications environments – the recognition speaks directly to something the local industry has long understood: that the strategic thinking, cultural intelligence and executional precision forged in African markets is not a regional advantage. It is a global one.
Irvine Partners brings this philosophy to some of the world’s most prominent digital and consumer brands in the Nigerian market, including TikTok, Spotify, Uber and Google – organisations that demand communications work of the highest international calibre, delivered with genuine local understanding.
An African agency rewriting the global narrative
Campaign UK’s 40 over 40 celebrates individual excellence, leadership and lasting impact within the British media and marketing landscape. PRovoke Media’s Innovator 25 spotlights those who are dismantling traditional PR structures, advancing data-led practice, and reshaping how the industry operates. To earn both in a single week is rare by any measure.
What underpins both honours is a story that begins not in London but in Africa – in the dynamic, high-stakes communications environments of markets like Nigeria, where agencies must be sharper, faster and more culturally precise than anywhere else in the world.
“These accolades are less about my own journey and far more about where Irvine Partners is going as a collective,” says Rachel Irvine. “For a long time, the global communications industry treated African agencies as local executors of global strategies. What we’ve proven over the past few years is that the technical craft, cultural capital, and data frameworks built within our agency are not just scalable for the continent; they are world-class.”
Built on the same ethos that works in Lagos
The recognition follows the agency’s strong performance at the IN2 SABRE Awards EMEA, where Irvine Partners took major wins for Unicorn School – its proprietary internal talent development programme – and for its advanced data analytics capability, alongside notable shortlists for global clients including Spotify and Uber.
Nigeria’s communications market is one of the most demanding in the world. Consumer audiences are sophisticated and discerning. The media environment is layered, fast-moving and deeply attuned to authenticity. Brands that succeed here do not do so through generic messaging – they do so through precision, cultural credibility and strategic consistency. These are precisely the competencies that Irvine Partners has built its international reputation on.
“The PR landscape has fundamentally shifted,” Irvine adds. “Clients no longer want siloed regional strategies; they want intelligent, culturally intuitive storytelling backed by bulletproof analytics that move the business needle. We built our foundations on that exact ethos in highly dynamic markets, and bringing that specific DNA to the UK and EMEA regions is why we are winning.”
The agency’s agile, borderless model – deliberately structured to move at the speed of modern brands rather than the pace of legacy networks- is one that Nigerian communications professionals will recognise as a natural evolution of how the best African agencies have always operated: lean, sharp and built for impact.
Underlying both honours is Irvine’s sustained commitment to talent development and cultural diversity across all of the agency’s wholly owned offices – a principle as central to its Lagos work as to any other market in its growing global footprint.
Mark Zuckerberg, Meta Chief Executive Officer, has announced a major leadership change at WhatsApp, confirming that Will Cathcart will step down as head of the messaging service after seven years in office.
Zuckerberg made the announcement in a post shared on Facebook on Monday, June 22, 2026, praising Cathcart’s contributions to the growth of the platform.
According to him, Cathcart played a key role in expanding WhatsApp’s global user base to over three billion people while promoting privacy-focused communication across its services.
“Will’s been one of Meta’s most important and effective leaders, helping to bring WhatsApp to over 3 billion people and championing privacy for our community,” Zuckerberg stated.
The Meta CEO also announced that Kunal Shal will take over leadership of WhatsApp.
He described Shal as a “builder” with strong international experience, adding that his leadership style aligns with Meta’s long-term vision for the messaging platform.
Meta said the transition is aimed at strengthening WhatsApp’s role in both personal and business communication globally, as the platform continues to expand its services across markets.
Industry observers say the leadership change marks a significant transition for WhatsApp, which has grown rapidly under Cathcart’s stewardship, particularly in areas of privacy, encryption, and enterprise messaging solutions.
However, Meta has not disclosed the exact timeline for the leadership handover or further structural changes within the messaging division.
The company reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining WhatsApp’s security standards and continued innovation under the new leadership.
MTN Nigeria has raised the bar for corporate disclosure in Africa after publishing its 2025 sustainability report in full compliance with International Financial Reporting Standards S1 and S2.
Dr. Karl Toriola, CEO of MTN Nigeria,
The report, independently assured by Ernst & Young, marks the telecom operator’s seventh consecutive annual sustainability publication and third year as an early adopter of the global framework ahead of its mandatory implementation.
Dr. Karl Toriola, CEO of MTN Nigeria, said, “strong governance and ethical conduct are foundational to our sustainability strategy. We reinforced compliance through our Conduct Passport Framework and robust internal controls.”
He added that “in May 2025, we became the first telecommunications company in Nigeria to publicly present a sustainability report on the Nigerian Exchange Group platform, an important milestone in our commitment to IFRS S1 and S2- aligned disclosure and accountability.”
The company also secured Carbon Disclosure Project ratings of ‘B-’ for climate change and ‘C’ for water security.
Under the IFRS S2 framework, the telecoms operator disclosed climate-related risks linked to flooding, heat stress, regulatory changes and possible future taxes or charges on carbon emissions, following a climate scenario analysis completed in 2024.
The report also showed that MTN Nigeria now uses a digital reporting format – XBRL. This makes its sustainability and governance data easier for investors and ESG rating agencies to access and analyse through automated systems.
The Company also carried out assessments to understand how sustainability issues affect both its business operations and society at large, while measuring its overall economic, environmental and social impact from 2021 to 2024.
In addition, over one-third of MTN Nigeria’s biggest suppliers (based on spending) have committed to supporting the company’s net-zero emissions goals, although these commitments have not yet gone through an independent audit or verification process.
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