Tigo Tanzania CEO Kamal Okba bids farewell after two years

Dar es Salaam. Tigo Tanzania's Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Kamal Okba, has announced his departure after a dynamic two-year tenure. The news was shared via Tigo Tanzania's LinkedIn page on July 5, 2024.

Mr. Okba joined Tigo Tanzania, one of the country's largest telecom companies with a vast subscriber base, two years ago soon after the Zantel acquisition and merger.

In his farewell statement, he expressed gratitude to his colleagues at Tigo Tanzania Plc and Axian Group for an incredible journey of serving 21 million customers with exceptional quality of service.

Bringing over 25 years of experience in the telecommunications sector, including 15 years in leadership roles, Mr Okba leaves behind a legacy of significant achievements.

Okba, who replaced Ghanaian-born Simon Karikari as CEO of Tigo Tanzania after the latter's resignation in 2021, is heading to Senegal, where Axian Telecom named him CEO of Free au Sénégal, with the goal of driving growth and innovation at the telco.

Under his leadership, Tigo Tanzania achieved double-digit revenue growth and prioritized enhancing the customer experience.

However, according to statistics from the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA), telecom subscriptions for P2P communication per operator by March 2024 were 20,275,514, up from 15,940,373 recorded in 2022.

Mobile money service subscriptions also saw an increase to 16,472,408 accounts from 10,902,252 in December 2022. Notably, Tigo recorded the highest number of fraudulent attempts per operator compared to other MNOs, while Halotel had the least fraudulent attempts in the quarter ending March 2024, with Tigo led at 34.7 percent.

Reflecting on his tenure, Mr. Okba highlighted transformative milestones: "A journey where the impossible became possible... where we drove digital and financial inclusion across Tanzania... where our 4G network covered 93 percent of the nation and propelled Tanzania into the 5G era with speeds exceeding 1.2Gbps... where every Tanzanian could activate a #Mastercard through our TigoPesa service in under a minute."

He further noted innovations such as device financing solutions that enabled Tanzanians to access smartphones affordably. Throughout these endeavors, Mr. Okba emphasized the dedication of Tigo Tanzania's employees and partners in delivering unparalleled customer experiences nationwide.

Among Tigo Tanzania's accolades during his tenure was the recognition for having the fastest internet network in Tanzania and being honored as a top employer in early 2024.