The management of MTN Nigeria has appointed Mr. Karl Toriola as the next Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for the company.

A disclosure notice by the company on Monday said the appointment takes effect from March 1, 2021.

Toriola is the current vice president for MTN Group’s West and Central Africa (WECA) region.

He will take over from Mr. Ferdi Moolman, who has served as CEO of MTN Nigeria for the past five years.

Moolman will now resume a new role as MTN Group chief risk officer.

According to the disclosure, Toriola, in his five years as VP of MTN’s WECA region, has overseen the steady progress of the operating companies in the region, notably the turnaround of MTN Ivory Coast and MTN Cameroon over the past two years.

The telecom giant said he has held a number of senior operational roles at MTN, including chief technical officer of MTN Nigeria and CEO of MTN Cameroon.

Toriola started his MTN career in his home country at MTN Nigeria 14 years’ ago and has all the attributes necessary to lead this very important business into the future, the disclosure said.

The new CEO has a BSc Hons in electronic and electrical engineering and a MSc in communication systems.

In his reaction, Mr. Ralph Mupita, MTN Group president and CEO, said: “Toriola brings extensive technical and commercial experience, as well as a deep understanding of the Nigeria market to the role.”