MTN Group has announced the appointment of the Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, to its board of directors effective July 2019.
Sanusi is a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria from 2009 to 2014, during which he was named as one of 100 most influential people in the world (2011) by TIME magazine.
He was voted Central Bank Governor of the Year by the Banker Magazine.
Welcoming him and other new directors to the board, outgoing MTN Group chairman, Phuthuma Nhleko, said: “We are confident that the incoming directors of the Board will bring a wealth of experience, depth of skills and regional insights that will continue to enrich the experience of the board.”
In a statement issued on Friday, the group also announced the establishment of an international advisory board (IAB) of prominent persons of considerable and wide-ranging experience.
The primary purpose of the IAB will be to counsel, guide and support the MTN Group from time to time in fulfilling its vision and objective of being one of the premier African corporations with a global footprint in telecommunications, contributing to increased digital inclusion in Africa and the Middle East.
The six member board will be chaired by former South African president, Thabo Mbeki, and includes Dr Aisha Abdullahi from Nigeria.
She is a former African Union Commissioner for Political Affairs and former Nigerian Ambassador to the Republic of Guinea.
A Fellow of the Chemical Society of Nigeria, Dr Abdullahi holds a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi.