9mobile appoints Ayodeji Adedeji as chief technical, information officer

The board of directors of the Emerging Markets Telecommunication Services Limited (EMTS), operator of 9mobile, has approved the appointment of Ayodeji Adedeji as the new chief technical and information officer (CTIO).

In a statement on Thursday, 9mobile said the appointment is in line with its strategic business transformation agenda to bring new ideas, solutions, and capabilities towards delivering a robust network experience to its customers.

Commenting on the appointment, Obafemi Banigbe, chief executive officer (CEO) of 9mobile, said Adedeji’s experience would greatly benefit the company.

“We’re excited to welcome Ayodeji to the 9mobile family. His appointment marks a pivotal moment in 9mobile’s technical and engineering innovation journey,” Banigbe said.

“It is a major part of our business transformation process which has also seen the recent appointment of Abolaji Idowu as the chief finance officer (CFO).

“We are confident that his experience in guiding companies through substantial growth and in navigating complex challenges will be beneficial to our organisation.

“He will be an important member of our senior leadership team, providing direction as we continue to expand and execute our growth strategy.”

In his new role, Adedeji is expected to provide strategic leadership for the technical and IT teams as CTIO, overseeing the technological direction of the organisation and driving automation and innovation across the IT lifecycle.

9mobile said he will focus on the IT infrastructure, systems, and digital strategies to align with the organisation’s strategic vision in expanding technology for growth and operational excellence.

Speaking on his new role, Adedeji expressed his excitement about collaborating with the 9mobile team to drive innovation, leverage technology, and deliver impactful solutions to accelerate growth.

“My focus will be to drive a digital-first, customer-centric approach across all our operations by delivering a world-class digital and technology infrastructure to accelerate the growth of the network and bring delight to our customers,” Adedeji said.

‘ADEDEJI’S CAREER SPANS ACROSS AFRICA, EUROPE’

According to the statement, Adedeji has over 25 years of industry experience in network operations, network architecture, service delivery management, and network design and planning.

His expertise spans 4G, 5G, and IP technologies, including data centres, with experience spanning Europe, The Caribbean, the United States of America (USA) and Africa.

Adedeji’s career, according to 9mobile, has seen him rise through the ranks from network architect and strategy to network design, planning and optimisation, and network engineering, driving transformative growth at companies like Hargray Communications, Ericsson, Etisalat Nigeria, and Airtel Nigeria.

Additionally, he has been responsible for business continuity, enterprise planning, and network security, leading to ISO 23001 certification, the telco said.

“Known for his passion for new technologies and innovation, Adedeji is committed to driving technological advancement and operational excellence,” the statement reads.

“He holds a BSc in electrical engineering (digital telecommunications) from the University of Lagos, Nigeria.

“He has also undergone extensive training in project management, service excellence, network technologies, disaster recovery, AWS cloud, and is a mini MBA graduate from Tekedia Institute.

“Adedeji joins 9mobile from Airtel Nigeria where he was the general manager of network services, and led a team of over 100 people overseeing circuit switched and packet switched core operations, BSS nodes operations, IN, and VAS network operations.”

The company added that he has successfully managed the implementation of VOLTE/IMS/5G core NSA consisting of both cloud native and vendor proprietary equipment, and ensured network “capacity across core nodes”.