MTN Nigeria has announced plans to inject about ₦1 trillion into its operations in 2025 to enhance service quality and expand network capacity across the country, according to Chief Executive Officer Karl Toriola.
Speaking at a media briefing, Toriola explained that despite Nigeria’s tough macroeconomic environment in 2024, the company remains focused on improving customer experience.
He noted that MTN tracks its performance using independent benchmarks, including crowdsourced speed tests and third-party assessments, which show steady improvements in service delivery nationwide.
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“In 2025, we are investing about a trillion naira in capital expenditure to improve quality of service,” Toriola said.
“We outspent our competitor nine to one on capacity and quality, and over time, customers naturally migrate more of their spend to the better provider.”
The CEO acknowledged that many Nigerians use multiple SIM cards as a safeguard, but stressed that market “wallet share” inevitably shifts toward operators that deliver stronger service.
He added that the telecom sector is capital-intensive and requires significant inflows to survive, recalling that MTN recorded losses in 2024 due to naira depreciation from ₦450 to ₦1,600 per dollar, which forced the company to borrow to stay operational.
Toriola further emphasized that Nigeria’s telecoms industry needs tariff adjustments linked to inflation and exchange rate fluctuations to remain viable.
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“In developed markets, tariffs automatically adjust with inflation. Nigeria must adopt the same model if we want a resilient sector,” he warned.
He also called for stable government policies, regulatory clarity, and better access to foreign exchange to attract the billions needed to build out digital infrastructure, such as fibre networks and data centres.
“Capital doesn’t care whether you are Nigerian or foreign — it goes where it gets the safest and best returns,” Toriola noted.
Image Credit: Nairametrics
