After three years as Chief Marketing Officer at Tizeti, one of West Africa’s leading solar-based internet service providers, Temitope Osunrinde has departed the company, marking the end of a chapter focused on expanding affordable connectivity across the region.
Osunrinde, who joined Tizeti after twelve years in Africa’s digital infrastructure sector, described his tenure as “an incredible journey,” working alongside CEO Kendall Ananyi and a team committed to bridging the continent’s digital divide.
Under his leadership, Tizeti expanded into new states, forged strategic international partnerships, and delivered year-on-year revenue growth.
“Every challenge was an opportunity to learn, lead, and contribute to bridging Africa’s digital divide,” Osunrinde said. “I am proud to have represented the brand meaningfully and amplified its presence beyond Nigeria.”
Prior to Tizeti, Osunrinde played a pivotal role at MainOne, West Africa’s premier connectivity and data center provider, where he launched wholesale and enterprise connectivity services, helping to establish MainOne as a backbone for internet services across Nigeria and the region.
MainOne, founded in 2010, laid the first privately owned submarine cable connecting West Africa to Europe, transforming bandwidth availability and affordability on the continent.
He also worked at MDXi Data Center, MainOne’s data center subsidiary, where he amplified its data center and cloud service offerings.
In December 2021, MainOne was acquired by Equinix, the world’s largest digital infrastructure company, for $320 million, marking Equinix’s first expansion into Africa and positioning MDXi as a strategic interconnection hub for global and African enterprises.
Osunrinde further consulted at Verraki Africa (a member of Andersen Consulting), advising corporates and governments on technology-driven growth strategies.
His move to Tizeti, he noted, was driven by a deliberate desire to understand the consumer end of the connectivity value chain.
“I knew I lacked firsthand exposure to the consumer end – where the rubber meets the road,” he said. “At Tizeti, I experienced the real challenges ISPs face: backhaul limitations, infrastructure deployment costs, right-of-way bottlenecks, area boys’ fiefdoms, vandalism, and low broadband literacy and purchasing power. But I also experienced the joy of getting previously unconnected people online – where a 30-minute connection once required a full-day trip to town.”
Reflecting on Africa’s broadband landscape, Osunrinde emphasised that connectivity technology should not overshadow the ultimate goal of getting people online. “It doesn’t matter whether connectivity comes via fiber, mobile broadband, satellite, or fixed wireless – what matters is that people are connected.”
While his next move has yet to be officially announced, Osunrinde reiterated his commitment to Africa’s digital transformation.
“There is still so much to be done to improve connectivity in Nigeria and Africa, and I look forward to playing my part in this journey,” he said. “My commitment to Africa’s digital transformation remains stronger than ever. I look forward to creating, collaborating, and supporting initiatives that unlock the continent’s full digital potential.”
His departure comes as Tizeti continues its regional expansion strategy, focusing on solar-powered towers and innovative last-mile connectivity solutions to deepen internet penetration across West Africa.
