More accolades poured in at the weekend for Zain as its CEO in Nigeria, Bayo Ligali and its Africa operation, were both honoured at the 2008 Nigerian Information Technology and Telecom Awards (NITTA 2008) in Lagos.
Ligali was awarded the Telecom Personality of the Year while Zain won the Pan African Telecom Operator of the Year.
Ligali was once again under the spotlight after a similar honour about three months ago, for what the organised of the Awards described as an outstanding performance including steering Zain Nigeria on the path of growth, during the year.
NITTA Awards Committee noted that despite coming from a different background, the Chief Executive of Zain has achieved mastery of the Telecom specific management issues within such a short time, taking the driver’s seat and moving his company and by extension the industry in the right direction.
The peculiarity of Ligali as the only Nigeria CEO of a major GSM company in Nigeria, was equally noted by the Award Board of Trustees, noting that he has demonstrated that Nigerians have what it takes to run big telecom businesses successfully.
The awards were presented to the winners at an elegant ceremony in Lagos at the weekend. The ceremony drew a large an array of dignitaries including Nigeria’s former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon; former Foreign Minister, Ambassador Mathew Mbu; Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Engineer Earnest Ndukwe; and representative of the Minister of Information and Communications, John Odey, amongst others.
Giant Telecom company, Zain won the Pan African Mobile Operator of the Year for providing telecom service in many towns and cities including difficult spots in the continent, stimulating economic growth and development across Africa, and for promoting excellence and world-class best practices.
The historic Zain ‘One Network’ service or roaming-fee free or borderless service also came up for mention, with the NITTA Awards Committee describing it as a very innovative service which allows Africans to communicate freely across geographical borders and continents without roaming call charges and without having to pay to receive incoming calls wherever they travel within 16 countries.
Zain One Network reduces the cost of making telephone calls when moving across the borders of many African countries. In addition, users of Zain lines can top up their prepaid accounts with airtime which is available in more than one million sales outlets within the One Network coverage map.
Many Zain customers in Nigerians and several other countries have benefited immensely from the service resulting in increasing popularity of the service in these countries.
Zain One Network was originally launched in September 2006 in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, but the service was then extended to a further nine African countries Burkina Faso, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Malawi, Niger, Nigeria and Sudan in 2007 and more recently to Zain’s Middle East operations in Iraq, Bahrain, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
Today, more than 500 million people in Zain’s markets, stretching from Manama in Bahrain to Freetown in Sierra Leone can make calls as ‘local’ customers when they use Zain mobile lines.
In August 2008, Ligali won the CEO of the Year in the Telecom Awards. Presenting the award, the Board of Trustees of the Awards praised him for leadership qualities, saying “since he took over the reins of Zain a year and half ago, he has re-invigorated operations and galvanized the workforce into committing to reclaiming the top position in the telecommunications industry.
“Zain’s active customers”, it further stated, “have increased from 5.4 million in May 2006 to over 15.5 million and the company currently ranks strong second (and contending No. 1) in the highly competitive Nigerian telecommunications market, with a vision to become number one by 2011”.
Born 52 years ago in Lagos Island, Mr. Ligali started his management career in Unilever Audit Department as an Auditor in 1979, and worked various management positions in UAC of Nigeria Plc before moving to the Foods Division as the Acting General Manager in 1991. He also held a number of senior management positions within Unilever Corporate Financial Group including Corporate Finance Manger for Latin America, Central Asia and Middle East, based in London. During the period, he was appointed to the board of UAC Nigeria Plc as a Non Executive Director.
Following his impressive performance, Ligali was appointed as the Chairman of Unilever, Malawi in 1998, a position he held until 2001 when he was given the challenge to oversee the entire East African operations of Unilever comprising Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia and Uganda as Chief Executive Officer.
While in Malawi, Ligali was the President of Employers Consultative Association 2000/2001 as well as a member of the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Economy. Upon his appointment as CEO of Unilever East Africa in 2001, he became a Board member of Kenya Association of Manufacturers; member, Local Advisory Committee of Eastern Africa Association and a member of British Business Association of Kenya.
In 2004 he left the Unilever Group for Dangote Pasta Plc as Chief Executive Officer, from where he joined Celtel. A Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (UK) and an Associate of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, Mr. Ligali joined Celtel Nigeria in October 2006.
