Nigeria: 9Mobile appoints new CEO

Emerging Markets Telecommunications Limited, commonly known as 9Mobile, has announced the appointment of a new chief executive officer to succeed Juergen Peschel, the outgoing Chief Executive Officer.

According to a statement released on Thursday, the board of directors has appointed Obafemi Banigbe to assume the top leadership position at the wireless service provider.

Mr. Banigbe is expected to steer the company through its next phase of business growth and development, the statement added.

Meanwhile, Mr. Peschel will continue to serve the company in a consulting role, assisting with the business transformation initiatives he introduced during his tenure as CEO.

“This transition is consistent with 9Mobile’s tradition of business continuity to ease the start of the holistic business transformation of the company,” 9Mobile said in the statement.

“Banigbe possesses extensive experience at the C-suite level and brings a profound comprehension of the intricate African business landscape, emphasising the critical translation of business objectives and commercial imperatives into comprehensive strategies that drive successful execution,” it added.

Mr Banigbe holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the Federal University of Technology Minna, Nigeria State.

He started off in the telecommunications industry as the director of operations at Celtel (now Airtel).

Prior to taking that role, he held a number of positions at Ericsson within the sub-Saharan Africa Market Unit including the position of network support group manager for access and transport network.

During his tenure as the chief operations officer at Millicom Ghana, he led the operational strategy for business at the Ghanaian unit of the Luxembourg-based telecoms operator.

Mr Banigbe would later fill the role of interim CEO at Millicom Ghana in addition to earlier roles as the chief technical officer of Millicom Ghana and Millicom International Cellular Tanzania.

He was a managing partner and co-founder at Silver Rock Technology Services Ghana. Mr Banigbe helped deliver the acquisition of Vodafone Ghana when he was an advisory board member of the Telecel Group.

At Nsano Group, a leading fintech platform with footprints across several African countries, he provided advisory services, helping to broaden his professional expertise.

“Obafemi is expected to work closely with the board of directors and all stakeholders to define credible and achievable long-term business plans through the introduction of solutions to address the evolving needs of the Nigerian telecommunication market,” 9Mobile said.

Mr Banigbe has attended several executive management courses, including the Ericsson Development Management Program and the Advanced Management Program of the London Business School.