MTN Appoints Shoyinka Shodunke as Head of IT Core Design and Delivery
MTN Group has announced the appointment of Shoyinka Shodunke as Executive: IT Core Design and Delivery, effective March 1, 2026. The appointment was disclosed in an internal email seen by Technext on Friday. According to the group, Shodunke’s new role will see him lead the design and execution of standardised, AI-enhanced IT architectures across MTN’s operations.
Driving AI-Led Digital Transformation
In his new position, Shodunke will be responsible for integrating AI-driven automation, predictive analytics, and digital transformation initiatives to enhance customer experience, improve operational efficiency, and increase service agility across the group.
“His responsibilities will include integrating AI-driven automation, predictive analytics and digital transformation initiatives to improve customer experience, operational efficiency and service agility, while accelerating innovation cycles and time-to-market,” the statement said.
Although he will formally assume the new role in March, Shodunke currently serves concurrently as Chief Information Officer (CIO) for MTN’s Nigeria and South Africa operations.
In those roles, he led large-scale digital initiatives impacting more than 80 million subscribers and oversaw a technology ecosystem comprising over 350 professionals.
Nearly Three Decades of Telecoms Leadership
According to MTN, Shodunke brings over 29 years of experience in technology leadership, digital transformation, and innovation across Africa’s telecommunications industry.
His previous roles include Director of Technology at Vodafone Ghana, Chief Technology and Information Officer (CTIO) at MTN Cameroon, CIO at MTN Zambia, and General Manager of Architecture for MTN’s Shared Services Hub in Southeast Africa.
“Shoyinka is recognised for a leadership approach anchored in adaptive intelligence and collaborative value creation,” the statement noted. His work has focused on applying Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance human creativity, strengthen system resilience, and drive innovation at scale.
Industry Recognition and Awards
In recognition of his impact, Shodunke was named MTN Group CIO of the Year in 2025, an award that acknowledged his role in supporting MTN’s transition from a traditional telecoms operator to an AI-enabled technology company. He has also received the Tech Champion in Telecoms and CIO of the Year awards at the CIO and C-Suite Awards Africa.
Education and Professional Background
Shodunke holds an MBA from the University of Northampton, an Advanced Management Programme (AMP) from Harvard Business School, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Global Management from the University of Salford, Manchester. He also earned a Bachelor of Technology in Mathematics and Statistics from the Federal University of Technology, Nigeria.
MTN Deepens Investment in AI Infrastructure
MTN said Shodunke’s appointment underscores the group’s growing investment in artificial intelligence and digital infrastructure across Africa.
The telecoms group has been expanding its footprint in data centres, developing local language models (LLMs), and partnering with global technology companies such as Microsoft to enhance customer services, including MoMo AI chatbots.
As part of its strategy to address Africa’s AI infrastructure gap and unlock new revenue streams, MTN is in discussions with U.S. and European firms to develop data centres across the continent to support AI-powered services.
Speaking in an interview with Bloomberg in September 2025, MTN Group CEO Ralph Mupita said the company would directly fund part of the AI data centre investments, alongside global partners, co-investors, AI infrastructure firms, and hyperscalers such as Microsoft.
