MTN Appoints Karl Toriola VP for Francophone Africa

By Adedapo Adesanya

The chief executive of MTN Nigeria, Mr Karl Toriola, has been appointed as the new Vice President of Francophone Africa for the MTN Group starting November 1, 2025. He will remain as the head of the Nigerian unit.

Mr Toriola has led MTN Nigeria since 2021, but before that, he had held leadership roles in Francophone West Africa since 2010.

MTN Nigeria, under Mr Toriola’s leadership, saw several milestones both for the company and the wider industry, including spearheading the first comprehensive tariff increase in 12 years.

Also in the first six months of 2025, the telco also saw a net profit of N414.9 billion, after a N519.1 billion in the 2024 fiscal year.

The new role will see him oversee some of the group’s key Francophone markets, including Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, and Congo Brazzaville.

The appointment is part of MTN’s broader leadership reshuffle as the group refines its Ambition 2025 strategy to remain strong in three core areas: connectivity, fintech, and digital infrastructure.

Mr Toriola, while leading the largest and most profitable subsidiary of MTN Group, will be seeking to replicate some of his successes in these markets.

There were other leadership changes including in South Africa where Mr Ferdi Moolman, currently Group Chief Risk Officer and a former CEO of MTN Nigeria, will become the new CEO of MTN South Africa, succeeding Mr Charles Molapisi.

Also, Ms Yolanda Cuba, who steps into the role of Deputy CEO and Executive Director of MTN SA, ensuring continuity and leadership depth.

The Group Chief Financial Officer, Mr Tsholofelo Molefe, will now oversee mergers and acquisitions (M&A), consolidating capital allocation and ensuring that investment decisions are aligned with the Group’s long-term growth priorities. This move brings M&A squarely under the finance portfolio, tightening discipline around capital deployment.

On the markets front, Mr Ebenezer Asante, previously Senior Vice President of Markets, will assume responsibility for Ghana, Uganda, Rwanda, Zambia, South Sudan, Sudan, Liberia, and joint ventures in Eswatini and Botswana. He takes on this revised role as Vice President of Ghana and Southern & East Africa, focusing on accelerating growth and deepening contributions from these operations.

“These leadership changes illustrate the depth of talent and experience we have across the Group,” MTN Group President and CEO Ralph Mupita said in a statement on Monday. “The changes will support the accelerated execution of our strategy beyond 2025 as well as greater value creation for stakeholders over the medium term.”