MTN Rwanda gets new boss

Barely days after Millicom International Cellular announced the appointment of Tongai Maramba as the new General Manager (GM) for Tigo Rwanda, MTN Group president and CEO Sifiso Dabengwa has also announced the appointment of Ebenezer Asante, as the new CEO for MTN Rwanda,

Asante will immediately assume office, taking over from Khaled Mikkawi. Asante will have to face the stiff competition between the two leading telecom companies in Rwanda, and will have to buckle up to keep the lead in the MTN client base, which has almost clocked 3.6million users.

Under the management of Mikkawi, the MTN subscriber base grew from 1.3 million to over 3.6 million. During the SIM registration drive, he personally registered MTN customers including the Prime Minister, Ambassadors and other government officials.

Since he joined, the number of network sites has increased from just over 100 to over 600 providing population coverage of over 98%. He won the Y’ello Star award for Customer Centricity in 2011; he is the only CEO in MTN Group to win this award.

“I am delighted to have served MTN in this amazing country and Rwanda shall always remain in my heart,” Mikkawi said in his farewell to the MTN staff.

Mikkawi joined MTN Rwanda at a time when the company had serious network issues. He managed to solve that with a dedicated team and the network improved significantly within a short period.

His successor, Ebenezer Asante, joined MTN Ghana in 2008 as Sales and Distribution Executive, responsible for Sales, Distribution, Trade Marketing, Channel Management and Design, Customer Service and the countrywide MTN branch network.

Asante has significant experience in creating a distinct customer service. Before coming to MTN, he spent 13 years with Unilever, where he held various functions, including that of country manager for Zambia in 2005. In 2006, he was appointed as customer development director, responsible for sales and customer development strategy and execution.

Asante holds a BA Economics & Statistics degree from the University of Ghana, a post-graduate diploma in Management from Henley Management College, and was part of MTN’s Global Advancement Program (GAP) in 2010.

Tags for promotion: Rwanda-Telecoms-MTN Group-Millicom International Cellular-new General Managers-Competition-CEO’s- Tongai Maramba- Ebenezer Asante

MTN Rwanda gets new boss