PODCAST | MTN boss outlines strategy for growth and AI

MTN strategy for growth, weathering economic challenges and making the most of AI is the focus of this edition of Business Day Spotlight. 

Host Mudiwa Gavaza is joined by Ralph Mupita, group CEO at MTN. 

Mupita says he is happy with progress made under the group’s ongoing strategy, dubbed “Ambition 2025”, premised on reducing debt, exiting operations in the Middle East and growing new business areas. 

He says the group was encouraged by the strong operational performance in other key markets in the first half of the 2024 financial. MTN SA, which completed its network resilience plan in the period, demonstrated encouraging progress in key areas of the business. This helped to drive some acceleration in overall service revenue.

Admittedly, Nigeria — the group’s largest operation — remains a sore point, owing to ongoing economic upheaval. The company is pressing ahead with the initiatives outlined to restore its profitability and balance sheet profile, particularly in resolving its negative equity position in the West African nation.

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Mupita also outlines how MTN is looking to position itself around the theme of artificial intelligence (AI). 

He says AI is currently better suited to helping telecoms operators to improve their efficiency and deliver a better service to customers as opposed to creating platforms akin to OpenAI’a ChatGPT or Google’s Gemini, which require billions in upfront investment. 

Through the discussion Mupita highlights the group’s performance over five years; plans for growth; challenges in the sector; opportunity; and thoughts around AI use in telecoms. 

Business Day Spotlight is a MultimediaLIVE Production. 

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