MTN Nigeria Communications Plc has become the first company in Africa to attain EDGE Advance Certification, marking a significant milestone in its efforts to promote gender equity and inclusion across its workforce.
The certification is the third of four levels under the EDGE (Economic Dividends for Gender Equality) framework, a global assessment methodology and business certification standard for workplace gender equity.
MTN Nigeria received the recognition following an independent certification audit conducted under the EDGE Certified Foundation framework. The achievement makes the company the first in Africa to reach the EDGE Advance level.
Globally, MTN Nigeria is also the first organisation in the communication services sector to attain the certification and only the third company overall to reach the level.
The latest recognition builds on MTN Nigeria’s earlier achievement in July 2023, when it attained EDGE Move Certification. At the time, the telecommunications company became the first telecoms operator in Africa to become EDGE Certified and the second organisation in Sub-Saharan Africa to achieve EDGE Move status on its first assessment.
EDGE Advance is awarded to organisations that demonstrate substantial and measurable progress across nearly all areas of the EDGE Standards. The assessment considers workplace policies, practices and outcomes relating to gender equity, with results subjected to independent verification.
For MTN Nigeria, the latest certification reflects several years of efforts aimed at improving female representation, expanding leadership opportunities and strengthening workplace policies that promote equality and inclusion.
Figures from the company’s 2025 Annual Report show that women accounted for 43.4 per cent of its total workforce and 41.18 per cent of its Executive Committee (EXCOM).
MTN Nigeria has also set a target of achieving a 50:50 gender balance across its workforce by 2030, making gender representation a defined part of its longer-term workforce strategy.
Commenting on the achievement, MTN Nigeria Chief Executive Officer, Karl Toriola, said the milestone was the result of deliberate action and sustained commitment to expanding opportunities for women across the organisation, including at senior leadership levels.
Toriola said the recognition was a source of pride for MTN Nigeria and reflected its commitment to gender equity, inclusion and creating opportunities for employees to thrive.
He added that being recognised as a global leader in workplace gender equity demonstrated the company’s continued efforts to make inclusion part of its organisational culture.
The company’s Chief Human Resource Officer, Esther Akinnukawe, said the certification showed that MTN Nigeria’s efforts to create a more equitable workplace were translating into measurable progress.
According to Akinnukawe, the increase in female representation across the workforce and senior management was driven by deliberate policies covering recruitment, mentorship and leadership development.
She said the company recognised both the significance of attaining EDGE Advance Certification and the responsibility that comes with the achievement.
Akinnukawe also reaffirmed MTN Nigeria’s commitment to reaching its 50:50 gender balance target by 2030.
The achievement has attracted recognition from stakeholders in the development and business communities, who highlighted its implications for workplace inclusion, corporate governance and long-term value creation.
Olivier Buyoya, IFC Regional Director for West Africa, said MTN Nigeria’s achievement demonstrated that workplace equality was not only a social imperative but could also contribute to business performance.
Buyoya noted that by incorporating inclusion into its strategy and holding itself accountable to measurable outcomes, MTN Nigeria was setting an important example for private-sector leadership in Africa.
Similarly, Temi Popoola, Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NGX Group, said the achievement demonstrated how inclusion, strong governance and accountability could translate into measurable business outcomes.
Popoola noted that investors were increasingly considering factors beyond financial performance when assessing companies, adding that certifications such as EDGE could provide an important signal of long-term value creation and institutional strength.
The EDGE Certified Foundation also described the recognition as evidence of the importance of measurable outcomes and independent verification in advancing workplace equity.
Aniela Unguresan, Founder of the EDGE Certified Foundation, said MTN Nigeria had joined a very small group of organisations to reach the Advance level and was the first in Africa to achieve the distinction.
According to Unguresan, the achievement was based on an independent assessment of measurable outcomes across nearly all areas of the EDGE Standards. She stressed that the certification reflected sustained and evidenced progress on gender equity rather than stated intentions alone.
Headquartered in Switzerland, the EDGE Certified Foundation manages the global EDGE Certification framework, which is used by organisations across 77 countries and 46 industries.
Several major international organisations have also achieved EDGE Certification through independent audits conducted by approved EDGE Certification Bodies. They include the World Bank Group, International Finance Corporation, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, United Nations Population Fund, Capgemini, L’Oréal, Allianz and MTN.
MTN Nigeria’s achievement therefore represents another stage in its efforts to strengthen female representation and create greater opportunities for women across different levels of the organisation.
With women already accounting for more than 43 per cent of its workforce and more than 41 per cent of its Executive Committee, the company is seeking to build on the progress as it works towards its 2030 target of equal gender representation.
The EDGE Advance Certification provides external recognition of that progress while placing MTN Nigeria among a small number of organisations globally that have reached the third level of the EDGE framework.
The company said it would continue working to create an inclusive workplace that values diversity, promotes equal opportunities and supports the advancement of gender equality across its workforce.