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Former Airtel Africa chief Segun Ogunsanya joins Vodacom Group as an independent non-executive director.
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Group Chairman Saki Macozoma will retire in July 2027 after a decade of leading the board.
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Lead Independent Director Khumo Shuenyane steps up as the new chairman on July 21, 2027.
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The leadership overhaul comes as Vodacom expands digital payments and mobile money across Africa.
August 13, (THEWILL) — South African telecom giant, Vodacom Group, is shaking up its top leadership, bringing in high-profile Nigerian executive Segun Ogunsanya while planning the exit of long-serving Chairman Saki Macozoma.
In an official statement released on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, the company confirmed that Macozoma will step down on July 20, 2027.
His retirement follows Vodacom’s strict policy that caps board tenure at ten years. Lead Independent Director Khumo Shuenyane will take over the top chairmanship role the following day.
At the same time, Vodacom is pulling in heavy African market experience by appointing Ogunsanya as an independent non-executive director starting October 9, 2026.
Ogunsanya previously led Airtel Africa as group chief executive and spent nearly a decade running Airtel Nigeria. Outside telecom, the chartered accountant currently chairs the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority.
“The incoming appointments strengthen board oversight as the business executes its long-term strategy”, Vodacom stated regarding the board changes.
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What the Board Shifts Mean for African Telecoms
Ogunsanya steps into the seat left by Phuthi Mahanyele Dabengwa, the CEO of Naspers South Africa, who leaves the board on October 8, 2026. Board member Clive Thomson will take over as head of the remuneration committee.
Adding Ogunsanya puts a top Nigerian corporate leader into the boardroom of Airtel’s biggest rival. His deep background in banking and mobile commerce comes at a critical time for Vodacom.
Under Macozoma, Vodacom expanded across East and Southern Africa through major deals with Safaricom and fibre infrastructure company Maziv.
Now, under Vision 2030, the company is expanding beyond basic voice and data services into digital banking, mobile payments, and fibre optic infrastructure.
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Ogunsanya led similar expansion efforts while managing Airtel Money across fourteen African markets, making his background particularly valuable to Vodacom’s growth plans.
His appointment reflects a growing trend of top African executives moving across regional markets to shape the future of fintech, cloud services, and digital infrastructure across the continent.
With quarterly revenue hitting R42.4 billion driven by fintech growth, the new board lineup gives Vodacom direct expertise to compete aggressively across African markets.
Joy Onuorah is a business journalist and brand communications specialist covering financial markets, artificial intelligence, digital economy, and the ideas reshaping business across Africa and the global market. Beyond her reporting for TheWill, Joy uses brand strategy, storytelling, copywriting, and high-value SEO to help brands build lasting market authority.
