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Former Airtel Africa Group Chief Executive Officer Segun Ogunsanya has been appointed as an independent non-executive director of Vodacom Group.
The development comes alongside a series of board changes at Vodacom, including the planned retirement of chairman Saki Macozoma and the departure of director Phuthi Mahanyele-Dabengwa.
Vodacom disclosed the board changes in a filing with the Johannesburg Stock Exchange on Tuesday, in compliance with JSE Listings Requirements.
What they are saying
Vodacom confirmed Ogunsanya’s appointment takes effect on October 9, and follows the completion of a fit and proper assessment required under JSE Listings Requirements, with the board satisfied with the outcome.
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- “Mr Segun Ogunsanya is appointed as an independent non-executive director with effect from 9 October 2026,” Vodacom said.
Ogunsanya, who retired as Airtel Africa CEO in June 2024 after leading the FTSE 100-listed telco across 14 African countries, brings more than 35 years of leadership experience spanning telecommunications, finance, banking, and fast-moving consumer goods.
He currently chairs Nigeria’s sovereign wealth fund, the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority, and sits on the board of the Nigeria Economic Summit Group.
Vodacom’s outgoing chairman Saki Macozoma, who has served on the board since July 2017, will retire at the company’s annual general meeting on July 20, 2027, having reached Vodacom’s self-imposed 10-year board tenure limit.
Current lead independent director Khumo Shuenyane will succeed Macozoma as chairman with effect from July 21, 2027.
Phuthi Mahanyele-Dabengwa, who served as chairman of the Remuneration Committee and a member of the Nomination Committee since her appointment on January 1, 2019, retires from the board on October 8, 2026, one day before Ogunsanya’s appointment takes effect.
With effect from October 9, 2026, Clive Thomson will assume the role of chairman of the Remuneration Committee while retaining his chairmanship of the Audit, Risk and Compliance Committee. Further committee changes will be announced in due course.
Get up to speed
Before leading Airtel Africa, Ogunsanya served as Managing Director of the Nigerian Bottling Company, CEO of Coca-Cola Sabco in Kenya, General Manager of the Coca-Cola Bottling Company in Ghana, and Group Head at Ecobank Transnational overseeing retail banking across 28 African countries.
- Ogunsanya’s new appointment also comes one year after Airtel Africa, his former company, and Vodacom Group, whose board he is joining, signed a strategic infrastructure-sharing agreement in August 2025 covering Mozambique, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
- The agreement provides for the two operators to share fibre networks and tower infrastructure, subject to regulatory approvals, with the aim of accelerating the rollout of high-speed internet services, particularly in underserved areas.
The companies said the arrangement would allow them to make greater use of existing infrastructure while reducing duplication and improving the efficiency of network deployment.
The agreement highlights the infrastructure costs facing operators serving multiple African markets, where expanding connectivity requires significant investment in towers, fibre and other network assets.
What you should know
The development comes as Bharti Airtel, Airtel Africa’s parent company, strengthens its direct ownership of the Africa-focused telecommunications group.
In June 2026, Bharti Airtel acquired approximately 16.35% of Airtel Africa’s issued share capital from Indian Continent Investment Limited in a share-for-share transaction, increasing its direct shareholding in Airtel Africa to 79.22% from 62.32%.
The transaction, completed on June 22, 2026, formed part of an internal restructuring of Bharti’s shareholding in Airtel Africa rather than an acquisition of the company from an external investor.
