Her tenure, which lasted approximately three years, was one of commendable achievements and growth for the company.

Before MTN, Sowho’s career has been characterized by her innovative approach and strategic leadership. She helped in building Etisalat Nigeria into one of the fastest-growing telecom companies of its time. 

Her forward-thinking methods were apparent during her time with Migo, where she led instant lending and scaled the operation to offer 10,000 loans per day. She also led Thrive Agric from challenging times to being recognized as one of the Financial Times’ 20 fastest-growing companies in 2024.

Reflecting on her journey, Sowho expressed gratitude for the experiences and learnings gained at MTN Nigeria. “I have learned much in this role and am grateful to my team and colleagues for the experience,” she shared on her LinkedIn page. 

Under her leadership, MTN Nigeria’s Consumer Business witnessed over 20% year-over-year growth, with a record 50% growth in the data business, and became the first Nigerian telecom to launch 5G technology.

Sowho has been highly important in MTN Nigeria’s growth, attributing her success to strategic partnerships and customer-centric initiatives.

She emphasized the importance of partnerships with OTT providers and OEMs to integrate customers into the digital economy, highlighting the balance between device financing access and designing compelling use cases. 

Sowho also stressed the essence of serving a “Customer of One,” tailoring marketing strategies to individual customer behaviour and preferences, which allowed MTN Nigeria to offer timely and relevant propositions.

Her approach to breaking down silos within the company facilitated a culture of agility and innovation. In promoting transparency and collaboration, she enabled her teams to synchronize efforts, leading to quicker launches and iterations of customer propositions.

Sowho’s focus on logical clarity over tactical reporting, through prescriptive analytics, allowed the company to anticipate customer needs and optimize strategies proactively.

In her farewell message, Adia Sowho noted her heartfelt gratitude, especially to Karl Toriola, for recognizing her potential as a CMO. She leaves behind a legacy of ‘startup energy’ and a set of principles for her team to uphold. 

Her departure is one with a sense of accomplishment and a huge impact on MTN Nigeria, setting new industry standards and achieving commendable feats.

Sowho now looks forward to the company’s continued success and the next phase of her professional journey, carrying forward the lessons and experiences from her tenure as CMO.

‘Side hustles’ amongst Nigerian youths have become prevalent compared to previous generations. 

According to a 2019 Geo Poll, side hustles have become fast-rising, with Nigeria leading the pack at 44.4%, followed by Kenya at 40.8%. This report sampled youths from Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Uganda and Tanzania, and found some of the major side hustles include agriculture, entertainment, ICT, online business, logistics, and food and beverage sectors, among others. 

Speaking at the MTN Pulse launch event on Wednesday, October 19, 2022, Chief Marketing Officer, MTN Nigeria, Adia Sowho, said: “The ‘hustle spirit’ amongst Nigeria’s young people is truly inspiring as they are innovative and entrepreneurial. MTN is here to support that ‘hustle’ so that their dreams can become reality. Young business owners have told us what they need, and with MTN Pulse Blow My Hustle, we will share business skills from experts in relevant fields and create access to financial grants. We look forward to the transformation that this initiative will propel.”

This campaign is geared towards further building entrepreneurial skills amongst Nigerian youths and providing them with the right principles to excel in various business industries.

Benefits

The shortlisted 100 candidates of this initiative will gain access to virtual training on Business Management, Digital Marketing, Financial Literacy, Investment Strategies, Business Legal Requirements, Elevator Pitches amongst others; and tasks will be assigned after each class. 

The top 20 contestants will be selected based on performance after the two-week training period as finalists who will present their business ideas to a panel of judges, engage in a brief question and answer session.

According to Macrotrends, the unemployment rate of Nigerian youths as at 2021 was 19.61%, having a decline of 0.06% from 2020. The MTN Pulse ‘Blow My Hustle’ campaign aims to elevate and improve the standards of living for the eligible participants.

How to apply

Applications for the MTN Pulse Blow My Hustle campaign are open to explore the various data offerings and share your compelling business plan visit the MTN Pulse website.

Speaking on MTN’s objective for the event, Adia Sowho, the Chief Marketing Officer, MTN Nigeria, said, “Today’s event is geared towards inspiring young children to become tech entrepreneurs because tech can position them into a world of unimaginable opportunities.”

The students who came from schools across Lagos, such as; Kaydel Comprehensive College, Methodist Boys High School, Methodist Girls High School, Igbobi College, Queens College, King’s College, Regan Memorial Baptist Girls, Baptist Academy Boys, and New Estate Baptist Secondary School, were introduced into the world of technology by Backend Developer, Ruth Ikegah, 17-year-old self-taught software developer, Obaloluwa Odelana and Co-founder/Chief Marketing Officer, PiggyVest, Joshua Chibueze.

Speaking on the partnership with MTN, Juliet Ehimuan-Chiazor, the Director, West Africa, Google, said, “Children are very important to the future of Nigeria, and it is important that we share insights with them. We are delighted to be partnering with MTN for this event because we are passionate about creating digital empowerment.”

The tech session is one of the activities from MTN to thrill kids during Children’s day. From May 27th – 31st, children enjoyed discounted offers at Genesis Cinemas, Playworld Abuja, GardenPark PortHarcourt, Upbeat Lagos, and Laterna Bookstores Lagos courtesy of MTN.

Also, every hour on Children’s day, the first 20 participants who answered questions on the mPulse website correctly received gifts from MTN. 

Speaking on the impact of the event, Alabi Oluwafikunayomi, an SS1 student of Igbobi College, said, “It was a wonderful event, I learnt that I have a lot of resources at my fingertips and I have to make use of them.”

To cater to Nigerian children, teenagers and secondary school students, MTN designed the mPulse proposition that enables them to learn and excel in their academics, develop skills, play brain-stimulating games, and enjoy age-appropriate entertainment.

The campaign allowed MTN subscribers to nominate their desired recipient to receive any one of the available gifts which include Jumia shopping vouchers, data and mobile devices, on the new myMTN NG app or by dialing a USSD code.

The campaign, which has been held twice in the past, allows MTN to celebrate the holidays with Nigerians and spread Christmas cheer through various activities in different places including markets, hospitals, schools, airports, IDP camps and bus parks across the country and excite them with gifts, experiences, refunds, donations, community development projects and freebies.

The company, however, opted for a digital campaign this year to drive participation in the Season of Surprises by subscribers due to the pandemic and to empower their customers to do the giving.

Speaking on the success of the campaign, Adia Sowho, the chief marketing officer, MTN Nigeria, said, “The simple act of nominating others to receive gifts is wholesome and thoughtful. It shows that we care about the people in our lives and would like to make them happy. We are very happy to see how many Nigerians took advantage of the opportunity. We are also glad to have been able to contribute to the smiles of Nigerians during the holiday season.”

The Y’ello Santa Campaign is one of MTN’s many initiatives to make Christmas and the rest of the holidays more fun and enjoyable for Nigerians.

The company has, through partnerships and sole interventions in other campaigns, delivered exciting experiences for Nigerians in forms of concerts, theatre productions, donations and community development projects.

Almost a million people have benefited from the MTN Y’ello Santa Campaign in the last four years, earning the company commendation from the public.