The Chief Executive Officer of MTN Nigeria, Dr Karl Toriola, has urged organisations to move beyond symbolic gestures to provide tangible support for women’s advancement.
Speaking at the MTN Nigeria’s Women @ Y’ello event, held to commemorate International Women’s Day 2026, with the event theme, “Give to Gain: Advancing Rights, Justice and Action for All Women and Girls”, Teriola said: “If we are advancing the women’s cause, we must make sacrifices for it.”
He said that companies should intentionally prioritise women in leadership development and recruitment.
According to Toriola, MTN is working deliberately to achieve gender balance across all leadership levels.
According to the statement by MTN, the event also celebrated the leadership journey of 14-year-old Oreoluwa Alayande, winner of the 2025 MTN mPulse Spelling Bee, who symbolically assumed the role of MTN CEO for a day.
It added that the Independent Non-Executive Director at MTN Nigeria, Eyitope Kola-Oyeneyin, in her keynote address, highlighted that impactful mentorship does not always stem from formal relationships.
Drawing from her career experiences, she noted that many of her most valuable lessons came from observing senior women who inspired her through their actions, not structured programmes.
She urged young women to embrace “learning from afar” by listening, watching, and applying insights from those who have travelled the path ahead.
She further urged experienced women to share their stories at every opportunity.
“A lot of things are often caught and not taught. By supporting someone or simply being around them, you can learn so much,” Kola-Oyeneyin said.
In her remarks, at the event, MTN Nigeria’s Chief Enterprise Business Officer, Lynda Saint-Nwafor, underscored that empowering women opens broader opportunities across society.
Local media reports quoted her as stressing the need for sustained corporate initiatives that support women at every stage of their careers and across all industries.
GIK/APA