How Homegrown talent is Reshaping the Nigerian Tech space
Nigeria’s Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector is witnessing a significant shift, with homegrown talent increasingly taking leadership roles in major companies.
This trend, alongside growing efforts in gender diversity, signals a maturing industry poised to drive the nation’s digital future.
Key industry players are demonstrating strong confidence in local capabilities. MTN Nigeria exemplifies this localisation success, reporting in 2024 that over 99% of its permanent staff and approximately 93% of its Executive Management, including CEO Karl Toriola, are Nigerian.
MTN Nigeria Communications PLC stands out as a prominent example of this localisation success story. Their 2024 Annual Report paints a clear picture: over 99% of the company’s 1,847 permanent employees are Nigerians, drawn from all six geopolitical zones.
This commitment is reflected in the leadership structure, with approximately 93% of the Executive Management team, including the Chief Executive Officer, Karl Toriola, a Nigerian appointed in October 2020 after serving as Vice President for MTN Group’s WECA region.
MTN Nigeria’s strategy extends beyond nationality to champion gender diversity. The 2024 report reveals that female representation in the overall workforce climbed to 41.4%, up from 38.7% the previous year. Even more strikingly, women now constitute approximately 46.7% of the Executive Management team, showcasing significant progress towards gender balance at the top.
This dedication to empowering local and female talent is explicitly linked to MTN Nigeria’s “Ambition 2025” strategy, which focuses on leveraging digital solutions for Nigeria’s progress. “This commitment to developing and empowering local talent is a cornerstone of MTN Nigeria’s strategy,” affirms CEO Karl Toriola.
Other major players show varying dynamics. While Airtel Nigeria recently appointed a non-Nigerian CEO (Dinesh Balsingh), the company retains Nigerian leaders such as Femi Oshinlaja (Chief Commercial Officer) and Shola Adeyemi (Chief Legal & Regulatory Director/Company Secretary) in other key roles while advancing gender diversity through promotions.
In the fintech space, Mitchell Elegbe’s Interswitch maintains strong local leadership, with an estimated 87.5% of its executive team being Nigerian. The company also demonstrates executive gender diversity, with women like Chinyere Don-Okhuofu (MD, Industry Ecosystems) and Titilola Shogaolu (SVP, Business Operations) holding key positions, representing 25% of the listed executives.
The same trend is observed in many other Nigerian fintech companies such as Moniepoint, Flutterwave, and Piggyvest. The increasing presence of Nigerian professionals in top ICT roles is crucial for national development and aligns with Nigeria’s local content policies, builds domestic capacity, creates high-value jobs, and reduces reliance on expatriate expertise.
This rise in homegrown leadership, coupled with efforts towards gender inclusion, is not just driving corporate success but is fundamentally shaping Nigeria’s economic and technological trajectory.
