Ahmad Farroukh has reportedly left his position as CEO of Nigerian telecommunications company Globacom just one month after his appointment in October 2024. According to TechCabal, his sudden departure appears to be linked to challenges within the company’s organisational structure.
The company’s owner, Mike Adenuga, likes to control everything himself. This was a problem for Farroukh, who was used to working at companies with more modern management styles from his time at other phone companies like MTN and Smile Communications.
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This leadership crisis comes at a particularly challenging time for Globacom. The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) recently punished them for not properly registering over 40 million of their customers’ ID numbers. Because of this mistake, Globacom lost more than half of its customers, and now it controls only 12% of Nigeria’s phone market—much less than its competitors, MTN and Airtel.
While Globacom is struggling, other African phone companies are making smart moves. For example, MTN is bringing in new leaders as part of their plan to grow bigger by 2025.
Moving forward, Globacom faces two critical challenges: finding a new CEO capable of navigating Nigeria’s competitive telecommunications market and reforming its internal structure to attract and retain top industry talent.