Airtel Africa appointed the head of its Nigeria operation Olusegun Ogunsanya as its new MD and CEO effective from October, following the retirement of incumbent Raghunath Mandava.

Ogunsanya has led Airtel Nigeria since 2012, having previously held a number of roles with multinationals in Africa covering banking, consumer goods and telecoms.

Discussing the change, Airtel Africa chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal said Mandava had repaired and then strengthened operations at the unit, which was floated by India-based parent Bharti Airtel in 2019.

Mittal added the new CEO had “displayed significant drive and energy in turning around the Nigeria business by focusing on network modernisation, distribution, and operational efficiency,” noting he expected the executive to lead the group through its next stages of development.

After relinquishing the top job, Mandava will stay-on in an advisory capacity for nine months.

Airtel Africa noted it planned to make an announcement on the new head of Airtel Nigeria soon.