Africell appoints new chief commercial officer

Godfrey Efeurhobo joins from Airtel Nigeria and will focus on accelerating Africell’s growth in Angola and DRC

Africell has appointed a new Group Chief Commercial Officer to accelerate growth in Angola and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and strengthen market leadership in Sierra Leone and The Gambia.

Godfrey Efeurhobo joins Africell from Airtel Nigeria, an operator with over 50 million customers and almost 2 billion US dollars in annual revenue. As Chief Commercial Officer of Airtel Nigeria, Mr. Efeurhobo led all aspects of commercial operations including marketing, sales and distribution, customer experience, brand and communications, regional operations, home broadband and retail.

In his new role, Mr. Efeurhobo is responsible for growing Africell’s customer base, driving sales, and differentiating Africell from its competitors.

Mr. Efeurhobo joins Africell only six months after the launch of services in Angola. One of the most economically developed countries in Africa, Angola’s telecoms sector has nevertheless suffered from decades of under-investment. Offering fast, low-cost and reliable services, Africell has already disrupted the landscape in Angola, winning more than 5 million customers since April 2022. As Africell expands coverage nationwide, Mr. Efeurhobo and his team will ensure that the company capitalises fully on the opportunity.

“Godfrey joins Africell at a pivotal time,” says Ziad Dalloul, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Africell Group. “Our portfolio includes two markets with astonishing potential for growth: Angola and DRC. Achieving this demands a smart commercial strategy. Godfrey comes to Africell with over twenty years of executive experience at heavyweight African operators, yet he also has an entrepreneurial mindset. The combination of expert knowledge and a creative vision makes him the perfect fit for this role”.

In addition to its new operations in Angola, Africell is currently undertaking a major network expansion in DRC, with several new cities and provinces (including in the east of the country) coming online in the past year. As in Angola, Africell has the potential to make a significant long-term impact in DRC, offering something different to competitors and giving millions of customers better access to telecommunications and digital connectivity.

Godfrey Efeurhobo says that achieving growth requires a commercial strategy that is intelligently localised.

“A Chief Commercial Officer must understand the dynamics of the market”, he says. “What makes people, businesses and communities tick and where does mobile technology fit in? Africell operates in four distinct countries. To achieve our ambitious growth goals, we must pay close attention to their unique features and respond with products and services that suit the specific needs of customers. I’m excited to be joining Africell at such a critical moment in its journey and I look forward to driving growth to the next level”.

Mr. Efeurhobo joins Africell’s head office in London, UK. Before serving as Airtel Nigeria’s Chief Commercial Officer, he led the company’s home broadband business and was Managing Director of Smile Communications, another telecommunications operator. Mr. Efeurhobo studied at the London Business School, the University of Liverpool, the University of Lagos, Ambrose Alli University, Harvard Business School, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Nigerian Law School. He is a qualified Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

Staff writer