MTN Group shares rose more than 4% in Johannesburg on Wednesday after its biggest unit, MTN Nigeria Communications, posted a solid financial report for the first quarter of the year.
Browsing: MTN Nigeria
MTN Group will push on with a plan to reduce its majority stake in its Nigerian business, though turmoil caused by the coronavirus may require the sale to be done in smaller chunks than anticipated.
MTN Group CEO Rob Shuter was paid R58.2-million in the 2019 financial year, a 35.7% increase on his total remuneration for 2018, but even these generous rewards were not enough to keep him.
Rob Shuter’s announcement that he will not seek to extend his contract as MTN Group CEO a year before it ends will allow the board enough time to pick a suitable candidate.
MTN Group shares fell more than 12% on Monday morning in Johannesburg, to their lowest levels in nearly 14 years, as investors digested the news of a shock fall in oil prices overnight.
MTN Nigeria, MTN Group’s largest operating subsidiary, turned in a robust performance in the 2019 financial year, with mobile subscribers rising by 6.1 million to 64.3 million and profit before tax up by 31.1%.
MTN has pledged to invest $1.6-billion (R23.4-billion) to expand its operations in Nigeria after settling the latest major dispute with authorities in its most profitable market.
MTN Nigeria Communications surged by 10% in Lagos on Monday, the most allowed by the exchange and matching the biggest gain since its May market debut.
In some rare good news for MTN Group, Nigeria’s attorney-general has withdrawn a $2-billion (R28.5-billion) tax demand against its subsidiary in the West African nation.
MTN has opted over the years to enter parts of the world seen as too risky by many other carriers. That’s left it vulnerable to legal entanglements, unpredictable politics and regulatory crackdowns.