MTN Group has appointed Ikenna Ikeme, the current General Manager of Regulatory Affairs at MTN Nigeria, as Executive for Group Regulatory Affairs, effective September 7, 2026.

The appointment is one of two internal executive changes announced by the telecommunications group as it seeks to strengthen its leadership capacity and accelerate the implementation of its Ambition 2030 strategy.

According to a statement from the Group, Ikeme will transition from his current position at MTN Nigeria to a group-level regulatory leadership role, where he will oversee the company’s regulatory affairs across its various markets.

He has more than 30 years of experience across the telecommunications, banking and insurance sectors, with expertise in regulatory affairs, public policy, compliance, stakeholder engagement and business transformation.

The Group said that during his time at MTN Nigeria, Ikeme has played a key role in several major regulatory initiatives that have influenced the company’s operations and the wider Nigerian telecommunications sector.

His experience includes securing regulatory approvals for spectrum transactions, national roaming agreements, 5G licensing, infrastructure sharing, and partnerships with mobile virtual network operators.

“In his new role, Ikeme will provide strategic leadership across the MTN Group’s regulatory agenda, working closely with the Group Legal and Regulatory Affairs office and teams across MTN’s markets.
“His responsibilities will include strengthening regulatory governance, managing regulatory risks, driving policy advocacy, supporting strategic business initiatives, and fostering strong relationships with regulators and key stakeholders,” MTN stated.

Ikeme is a qualified Barrister at Law and holds an MBA from Enugu State University of Science and Technology.

He also completed the Advanced Management Programme at MIT Sloan School of Management and is a Certified Information Privacy Professional for Europe.

MTN said Ikeme’s extensive experience in navigating complex regulatory environments will enable him to provide strategic support to the Group as it advances its priorities across its various markets.

In a separate appointment, MTN Group announced that Ashutosh Tiwary will become Operations Executive for its Francophone Markets, effective September 1, 2026.

Tiwary has more than 27 years of telecommunications leadership experience across Africa and India, having held several senior executive positions within MTN.

He previously served as General Manager of Prepaid Consumer Business at MTN South Africa and Acting CEO of MTN Guinea-Bissau, where he was responsible for turning around the business and supporting its eventual portfolio…