By The several technology and products coming from MTN Nigeria Plc is getting to the Nigerian consumers, who indeed should be beneficiaries of such innovations.
Worst still the policies from the Nigerian Government meant to make that happened such as the Right of Way (RoW) is not working.
Addressing journalists on the sideline of activities meant to mark the 25th anniversary of the telecommunications company, executives of the company harped on the challenges that the telecoms operator had battled in the last 25 years to give quality services to her customers.
General Manager Network Access Planning and Optimisation for MTN Nigeria Plc, Nasiru Hayatu disclosed that “Because you have so many challenges like Right of Way, things that will allow that technology or that product reach the customer are not there.”
He added, “there’s a limit to what you can do if you don’t have the right policies to support that. Yes, there is the national policy on Right of Way, but practically it doesn’t work.”
However, he said, “For the past 25 years, MTN has been investing in network expansion and optimisation and this is something that we do every day. We have tools that allow us to forecast. We have tools that allow us to look for new areas of opportunity working with our architectures to improve service quality on our network.”
While showcasing its achievements and consistency in providing telecoms services to millions of subscribers for 25 years of operations in Nigeria, MTN has assured its customers of further investments in network expansion, designed to enhance telecoms services in Nigeria.
He added: “If you do recall, prior to February, March 2025, when the regulator gave us a tariff increase, before that time, there was no increase in tariffs. Since then, we’ve been committing about a trillion in CAPEX.”
Reflecting on the slow growth in the FinTech sector, Chief Financial Officer, MTN Nigeria, Modupe Kadri noted that the existing rules set by the Central Bank Nigeria at the time were responsible and not the licensing of MNOs at the time.
Kadri however noted the progress that MTN Nigeria has made in that space saying that with time, that has changed and that’s “why we are now into that place. So, I think what our customers can look forward to in terms of the FinTech space, you should see instead of the app technology being deployed, things that you have access to in other developing markets will be readily available on the FinTech platform.”
According to him, said MTN invested over N1.6 trillion in the last 18 months in network expansion and coverage, capacity building and customer experience.
“In Q1 2026, our capital expenditure (Capex) grew 92.8 per cent year-on-year as we accelerated deployment to relieve congestion and improve service quality. The pace was moderated in Q2 in line our full year plan. In 2025 alone, Capex excluding leases, more than double to about N1 trillion,” Kadri said.
Kadri burst the bubble of tech-savvy Nigerians expecting MTN to invest in 5G devices stating that technology evolves at a faster rate and that partnering with OEMs on device manufacturing will best address the issue.
He however, noted that MTN Nigeria would continue to partner with Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), and advise them on the need to produce affordable 5G devices that would boost 5G deployment in Nigeria.
“If we invest in devices and other device or newer type of devices comes up, they become obsolete. So, we need to partner with our OEMs on device manufacturing,” Kadri said.
While noting MTN Nigeria role in the area of Artificial Intelligence (AI) deployment, Kadri said: “Nigerians are very ambitious people, very tech-savvy people, always seeking the best. What MTN has done is to ensure that we enable the ecosystem that will allow them to have the best expressions of themselves, either as individuals or businesses.”
He further stated that AI is a critical area for MTN Nigeria saying “it’s important for us as MTN that we move inwards to understand how we can actually leverage on the platform to drive efficiencies in our operations, in our understanding of the customer, in our ability to target, to segment, to provide the right solutions and understand the types of behaviours that are required to drive initiatives such as our device strategy.”
He assured that “MTN will continue to use emerging tools to drive efficiency, to do things better, to interact better, to connect better. And for as long as those desires are there, there will always be a need to continue to advance and optimise what technology can do.”
He added: “Our job as MTN is to always be at the forefront of technology to ensure that we are able to, at any point in time, provide our customers with the right levels of experience and stay true to our commitment to make their lives better.”
Chief Digital Officer, Digital Services, A’Isha Mumuni, said that “Most of you have travelled, and you will attest that, in spite of the challenges that we have in Nigeria, when you compare your network experience on some other networks abroad, it actually compares with them.”
Speaking about the Next Afrobeat Star, a platform showcasing the Nigerian musical talent, she said, “We did finish the first season earlier this year. We’ve gone through the learnings, you know, to make sure that it’s better. I think in October or so, we’ll start the second season.”
