Tigo Ghana is set to embark on major initiatives for 2016 including network optimisation and revamping its product portfolios, to attract and retain customers

This was disclosed by Ms. Cynthia Gordon, the Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer, Africa Division of Millicom, parent company of Tigo at the end of a two-day working visit to Ghana from January 18 –19, 2016.

While in the country, Ms. Gordon met with various stakeholders including members of the Ghana Leadership Team to discuss new and improved strategies to grow the business and deliver more value to customers.   

Cynthia is of the view that Africa's telecommunications market is innovative and competitive, due to the size and scale of predicted growth therefore the focus needs to be on some key strategic pillars. 

“Ghana is an interesting and exciting market. It is one of the most vibrant and has enormous growth potential and we will differentiate ourselves by adding more value through existing infrastructure and partnerships. For instance with the increasing adoption of smartphones and internet consumption locally and the decreasing prices of smartphones worldwide, we can help drive up the numbers for smartphone connections through a win-win partnership with an affordable handset provider”, she explained. 

She revealed the focus for Tigo in 2016 is to grow the volume and value of customers by accelerating growth in data, Tigo Business and Mobile Financial Services, MFS. 

In 2015, Millicom, the parent company for Tigo highlighted industry predictions of an exponential growth in Africa’s mobile broadband subscriptions - which are expected to almost triple by 2018 whilst data traffic in Sub-Saharan Africa is estimated to grow by 20 times by 2019 – twice the global average. Industry research also forecasts that data revenues in Africa represents 10% - 20% of total revenues, but this number is expected to reach 30% by 2018.

Millicom’s vision is to leverage on the role of the internet and digital technology to advance people's lives -financially and socially and Cynthia’s task is to help position and sustain this within the Africa markets in the face of increasing competition. 

With responsibility for the six countries in Africa where Tigo operates: Tanzania, Ghana, DRC, Senegal, Rwanda and Chad, her visit to Ghana was second since her appointment on September 21, 2015. 

Cynthia has more than 20 years of telecom sector specific experience, leading mobile, broadband and fixed-line operations in emerging markets across Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Russia.

She developed her Africa experience while at Orange, where she was Vice-President of Partnerships and Emerging Markets, and Ooredoo where she was Chief Commercial Officer.