MTN Nigeria leads Africa in gender equality, secures EDGE Advance

MTN Nigeria Communications Plc has become the first company in Africa to attain EDGE Advance Certification, placing the telecommunications giant among a select group of organisations globally recognised for measurable progress in workplace gender equality.

The certification, the third of four levels under the global Economic Dividends for Gender Equality (EDGE) framework, also makes MTN Nigeria the first organisation in the global Communication Services sector and only the third company worldwide to reach the level.

The recognition followed an independent certification audit conducted under the EDGE Certified Foundation framework, which assesses organisations against measurable standards covering policies, workplace practices and outcomes relating to gender equity.

MTN Nigeria’s latest achievement builds on its EDGE Move Certification secured in July 2023, when it became the first telecommunications operator in Africa to receive EDGE certification and the second organisation in Sub-Saharan Africa to attain EDGE Move status on its first assessment.

The latest certification reflects the company’s continued progress in improving female representation, strengthening leadership opportunities for women and embedding gender equity in its workplace policies and practices.

According to MTN Nigeria’s 2025 Annual Report, women accounted for 43.4 per cent of the company’s total workforce, while female representation on its Executive Committee stood at 41.18 per cent.

The company has set a target of achieving 50:50 gender balance across its workforce by 2030, indicating that the latest certification is part of an ongoing strategy rather than an end point.

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Commenting on the achievement, MTN Nigeria Chief Executive Officer, Karl Toriola, said the milestone reflected deliberate and sustained efforts to expand opportunities for women, including at senior leadership levels.

“This milestone reflects deliberate action and a sustained commitment to expanding opportunities for women across our workforce, including at senior leadership levels,” Toriola said.

He added that the global recognition was a source of pride for the company and demonstrated its commitment to gender equity, inclusion and creating opportunities for employees to thrive.

Chief Human Resource Officer, MTN Nigeria, Esther Akinnukawe, said the certification demonstrated that the company’s gender-equity initiatives were translating into measurable outcomes.

She attributed the increase in female representation across the workforce and senior management to deliberate policies covering recruitment, mentorship and leadership development.

“Attaining EDGE Advance Certification is a clear signal that the work we have put into building a more equitable workplace is translating into real, measurable progress,” Akinnukawe said.

She reaffirmed MTN Nigeria’s commitment to its 2030 target of achieving equal gender representation across its workforce.

The achievement has also attracted recognition from key institutions in Nigeria’s business and development ecosystem.

Regional Director for West Africa at the International Finance Corporation, Olivier Buyoya, said MTN Nigeria’s achievement demonstrated that workplace equality could serve both as a social imperative and a driver of business performance.

He noted that by embedding inclusion into its strategy and measuring outcomes, the company was setting an example for private-sector leadership in Africa.

Similarly, Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of NGX Group, Temi Popoola, said the certification demonstrated how inclusion, governance and accountability could translate into measurable business outcomes.

According to Popoola, certifications such as EDGE were becoming increasingly relevant as investors looked beyond conventional financial performance for indicators of long-term value creation and institutional strength.

For the EDGE Certified Foundation, MTN Nigeria’s achievement underscores the importance of independently verified outcomes in measuring progress on workplace equity.

Founder of the EDGE Certified Foundation, Aniela Unguresan, said MTN Nigeria now belonged to a very small group of organisations globally to have reached the Advance level.

She stressed that the certification was based on independent assessment of measurable outcomes across nearly all areas of the EDGE Standards, rather than stated corporate intentions.

Headquartered in Switzerland, the EDGE Certified Foundation manages the global EDGE Certification framework, which is used by organisations across 77 countries and 46 industries.

The framework has been adopted by organisations including the World Bank Group, IFC, OECD, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, UNFPA, Capgemini, L’Oréal and Allianz.

For MTN Nigeria, the latest certification reinforces its positioning as a corporate leader in workplace inclusion, while its 2030 gender-balance target places further emphasis on translating the recognition into sustained representation across all levels of the organisation.