Thabo Mbeki

Former deputy finance minister Mcebisi Jonas will replace Phuthuma Nhleko as chairman of MTN Group at the end of the year, the telecommunications operator said on Friday. At the same time, former President Thabo Mbeki will head a new advisory board.

Jonas will assume the role on 15 December 2019, after serving an interim period as chairman-designate. Nhleko had been expected to step down at MTN’s annual general meeting on 23 May, but his tenure will be extended by six months, MTN said.

At the same time, the group said it is establishing an international advisory board comprising “prominent persons of considerable and wide-ranging experience”.

The purpose of this board will be to “guide and support MTN Group from time to time in fulfilling its vision and objective of being one of the premier African corporations with a global footprint in telecommunications, contributing to increased digital inclusion in Africa and the Middle East, a pivotal aspect of the fourth Industrial Revolution”.

The advisory board will be non-statutory in nature and will not have any fiduciary responsibility, but will make an “important contribution and play a highly valued role in ensuring that the board is guided and assisted in achieving the company’s vision in a technically complex world with uncertain and shifting geopolitical interests”.

The advisory board will be chaired by former President Mbeki. Other members will include former Ghanaian President John Kufuor; former African Union commissioner for political affairs Aisha Abdullahi; former International Atomic Energy Agency director-general Mohammed ElBaradei; Total president of marketing and services Momar Nguer; and Nhleko.  — © 2019 NewsCentral Media