Ralph Mupita, president/CEO of MTN Group, has outlined the telecom giant’s strategic priorities for the next five years,with focus on home connectivity, fintech expansion, digital infrastructure and artificial intelligence.
Speaking during an interview with Mobile World Live at the Mobile World Congress 2026 in Barcelona, Mupita said the company is entering a new growth phase after completing its five-year strategy known as Ambition 2025.
“We’ve just finished executing a five-year strategy, Ambition 2025, and we’re now looking to the next five years ahead,” Mupita said. “We are very excited about the opportunity across our markets.”
MTN currently serves more than 300 million customers across its markets in Africa and the Middle East.
AI and digital infrastructure investment
Artificial intelligence is expected to become a key component of MTN’s future operations.
Mupita said the company is exploring how AI can improve customer service, optimise network management and enhance workforce productivity.
“We think we are at the start of the AI journey,” he said, adding that MTN is monitoring global developments such as AI infrastructure, data centres and GPU-based computing services.
The company is also positioning itself to play a role in Africa’s emerging AI ecosystem through investments in fibre networks, AI-ready data centres and telecommunications towers.
“We want to be the fibre railroads for Africa,” Mupita said.
Focus on connecting African homesA central pillar of MTN’s strategy will be expanding connectivity into households across the continent.
According to Mupita, the operator plans to invest capital in multiple technologies to increase broadband penetration and strengthen digital access.
“We see a big opportunity to connect homes,” he said. “Winning the home is a big strategic priority.”
The company is also targeting Africa’s rapidly growing small and medium-sized enterprises by providing digital solutions and technology infrastructure to support business operations.
Fintech expansion and mobile money growth
MTN also plans to deepen its push into financial technology by transforming its large mobile money platform into a broader fintech ecosystem.
The company currently has nearly 70 million active mobile money users, positioning it as one of Africa’s largest digital financial services providers.
Mupita said the telecom operator sees significant growth opportunities as millions of Africans increasingly rely on mobile-based financial services.
Infrastructure challenges in Africa
Despite the growth opportunities, Mupita noted that Africa still faces major structural challenges that could slow digital adoption.
One of the biggest obstacles is energy access.
Only about 600 million Africans have reliable electricity, out of an estimated 1.3 to 1.4 billion people on the continent, he said.
Other barriers include device affordability and fragmented regulatory frameworks across African countries.
Mupita noted that smartphone costs remain a significant barrier, with devices currently priced around $40 still out of reach for many consumers.
“To really crack the problem, we need to go much further south of $40 for everyday Africans to access a device,” he said.
Tower acquisition strategy
Mupita also addressed MTN’s recent agreement to acquire tower assets from IHS Towers in a deal reportedly worth around $2.2 billion.
He said the move reflects a strategic rethink of the ‘asset-light’ model adopted by telecom operators over the past decade.
“With inflation, currency volatility and changing market conditions, our strategic reflection was that towers are a critical part of our digital infrastructure,” he said.
MTN plans to continue allowing third-party operators to use the infrastructure while maintaining governance frameworks that support competitors sharing the towers.
Long-term digital growth opportunity
Despite the challenges, Mupita said Africa’s youthful population presents a strong long-term opportunity for digital growth.
The continent’s median age of about 19 years means Africa will play a major role in the global workforce in the coming decades.
“Probably 40 to 50 percent of the working population will come from Africa from 2040 onwards,” he said.
“But for us to get that demographic dividend, we have to put the infrastructure in place now.”
MTN’s next strategy cycle will focus on building the infrastructure needed to power Africa’s digital economy over the coming decades.
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