Connecting Africa is part of the Informa Tech Division of Informa PLC

This site is operated by a business or businesses owned by Informa PLC and all copyright resides with them. Informa PLC's registered office is 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG. Registered in England and Wales. Number 3099067.

4G/5G

MTN's Ugandan Woes Deepen

Article Image
MTN Uganda's CEO has been deported, becoming the fourth senior executive at the mobile operator to be sent packing from the eastern African country in recent weeks.

MTN confirmed that its CEO in Uganda, Wim Vanhelleputte, has been deported -- to where it did not say.

"To ensure business continuity, we have appointed Mr Gordian Kyomukama, currently Chief Technology Officer, as Acting Chief Executive. Our focus continues to be on delivering the best quality products and services to our customers," MTN said in a statement.

Vanhelleputte is the fourth MTN executive to be barred from Uganda in one month. According to MTN's official confirmation, on 19 January MTN Uganda's Chief Marketing Officer, Olivier Prentout, was arrested by police at Entebbe airport when he arrived from an overseas business trip. He was later deported to his native France.

Two days later, on 21 January, the company's Head of Sales and Distribution in Uganda, Annie Bilenge Tabura, was arrested by unidentified security personnel when she arrived at the MTN headquarters in Kampala. She was then deported to Rwanda, from where she hails.

Then on 22 January, Elsa Muzzolini, Head of Mobile Financial Services, was also deported from Uganda. No information was released by MTN on where Muzzolini, an Italian national, was sent.

The company is clearly irritated by the lack of clarity on why its executives are being kicked out of the country. "MTN has not been notified of the grounds for the deportation and is working hard to establish precise reasons for the deportation. We are understandably concerned about these developments and are engaging with the authorities to seek understanding that would lead us to resolving this matter," it said in the statement.

With other lawsuits and disputes eating up its time and resources, especially the never-ending saga in Nigeria, MTN can certainly do without these challenges in Uganda. (See Why MTN Will Want a Jumia IPO.)

— Wei Shi, Site Editor, Connecting Africa

Innovation hub

Story

Omdia View: February 2024

Highlights in February 2024 in the Middle East and Africa included 5G launches in Senegal and 5G trials in Egypt as well as Kenya's first 5G MVNO. Airtel also launched a new wholesale connectivity business while MTN and Huawei are planning a joint Innovation Technology Lab in South Africa – that and more in this month's Omdia View.

Story

Key adoption areas for machine learning in Africa

ICT analyst Francis Hook identifies some of the key sectors that could be positively impacted by machine learning, including education, government services, healthcare and climate tech.

More Innovation hub

Latest video

More videos

Upcoming events

Africa Tech Festival 2024
November 11-14, 2024
Cape Town, South Africa
More Upcoming events

Sponsored video

More videos

Industry announcements

More Industry announcements

Africa Tech Perspectives

Story

Uber's Marjorie Saint-Lot on inclusion and sustainability in Africa

Uber's Country Manager for Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire, Marjorie Saint-Lot, shares how the ride-hailing company is approaching public-private partnerships, environmentally friendly initiatives and gender inclusion in Africa.

Story

The 100 most influential African leaders in 2023

A new report from Africa Tech Festival and Connecting Africa puts a spotlight on the top 100 African leaders in the telecoms and technology sector in 2023.

Story

Deep dive into East Africa's tech startup ecosystem

New survey reveals a lack of access to investors, reliance on international VCs and global recession trends as the biggest barriers for East African tech startups to access funds.

More Africa Tech perspectives

Partner perspectives

All Partner Perspectives

Guest Perspectives

Story

Omdia View: January 2024

By Omdia Analysts

Highlights in January 2024 in the Middle East and Africa included a $200 million fintech deal between MTN and Mastercard as well as 5G network trials by Telecom Egypt – that and more in this month's Omdia View.

Story

Omdia View: September 2023

By Omdia Analysts

Highlights in September 2023 in the Middle East and Africa included more 5G spectrum licenses, vendor and operator strategies, and partnerships – that and more in this month's Omdia View.

More Guest Perspectives

Like us on Facebook

Newsletter Sign Up


Sign Up
Tag id test-002