Nigeria’s Karl Toriola takes centre stage at Congo’s presidential palace

Nigeria’s Karl Toriola is proving once again that Nigerian excellence knows no borders. The MTN Nigeria boss, who recently took on the responsibility of overseeing Francophone Africa, was received with high honours this week at the Presidential Palace in Brazzaville.

Received by President Denis Sassou Nguesso, Toriola’s visit was a clear sign that Nigeria’s corporate A-listers are now the ones driving the continental conversation.

Toriola went with a blueprint for growth. During his meetings with the President and Prime Minister Anatole Collinet Makosso, he made it clear that MTN is a partner in the Republic of Congo’s progress.

His focus was simple: better network, faster internet, and more opportunities for the common man.

The visit comes at a crucial time as Congo pushes its 2022-2026 National Development Plan.

Toriola pledged that MTN would lead the charge in fixing infrastructure and bringing digital services to the farthest corners of the country. Also in attendance was Mohammed Rufai, CEO of MTN Congo Brazzaville (and former CTO, MTN Nigeria)

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In a move that has been widely cheered by observers, Toriola also spoke about financial inclusion and the plan to let Congolese people buy into the company.

By opening up MTN Congo’s capital to national investors, Toriola is ensuring that the wealth generated from every recharge card and data subscription stays within the country to empower local families. It is a bold move that shows his commitment to a people-first business model.

Toriola said: “As we continue with our digital development and connection drive, we have been rolling out aggressively all over Congo, even to the villages. For instance, we have launched more than 100 rural villages with 4G coverage.

“So it is now possible to make video calls, download documents and perform multiple online actions in the villages. We’re very proud of this, but we can only do all that because we have a stable environment here in Congo and for that I must commend the government and the President.”

From the streets of Nigeria to the high-power offices of Central Africa, Karl Toriola is showing what is possible when vision meets hard work. As he thanked the local authorities for their cooperation, he left no doubt that under his leadership, the future of African telecommunications is bright and inclusive.

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha is the Aviation Correspondent at BusinessDay Media Limited, publishers of BusinessDay Newspapers. She is also the Deputy Editor, BusinessDay Weekender Magazine, the Saturday Weekend edition of BusinessDay. She holds a BSC in Mass Communication from the prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka and a Masters degree in Marketing at the University of Lagos. As the lead writer on the aviation desk, Ifeoma is responsible and in charge of the three weekly aviation and travel pages in BusinessDay and BDSunday. She also overseas and edits all pages of BusinessDay Saturday Weekender. She has written various investigative, features and news stories in aviation and business related issues and has been severally nominated for award in the category of Aviation Writer of the Year by the Nigeria Media Nite-Out awards; one of the Nigeria’s most prestigious media awards ceremonies. Ifeoma is a one-time winner of the prestigious Nigeria Media Merit Award under the 'Aviation Writer of the Year' Category. She is the 2025 Eloy Award winner under the Print Media Journalist category. She has undergone several journalism trainings by various prestigious organisations. Ifeoma is also a fellow of the Female Reporters Leadership Fellowship of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism.