MTN Group Ltd. and Airtel Africa Plc were given the green light to resume the sale of new SIM cards in Nigeria following the implementation of a new policy linking them to national ID numbers. Wireless operators were ordered to stop activities in December for an unspecified time, raising concerns about growth potential in Africa’s most populous country. MTN’s local unit is the West African country’s biggest wireless operator, while Airtel Africa, which listed in Lagos and London in 2019, is just ahead of local operator Globacom Ltd. as the country’s second-largest. Nigeria is also MTN’s largest and most profitable market. Nigeria has battled a deadly Islamist insurgency in the northeast of the country for two decades, and sees the tighter monitoring of mobile-phone use as a potential way to combat the problem. The regulator fined MTN more than $5 billion in 2015 for missing a deadline to disconnect unregistered subscribers, triggering a share-price crash and a year of negotiations before a settlement was reached.
SOURCE: BLOOMBERG
More Stories
Glencore to Pay the DRC $180m to Settle Corruption Claims
South African Leader to Challenge Decision on How he Handled Theft at His Personal Residence
Ethiopia’s First Ever National Migration Policy Poised to Help Returning Nationals
Overdependence on Foreign Markets is Hurting Ghana
Firm Comes Up with an Effective and Cost-friendly Way to Curb Air Pollution in Kenya
ECOWAS to Form Regional Force against Coups
Leadership Merry-go-round Halted UK’s Energy Project in the Sahara
Pandemic Has Regressed Africa’s Gains in Maternal and Child Health
Nigerians’ Meh Response to New Look Currency
The Atlas Lions Can Count on the Support of an Entire Continent
Abby Ajayi’s ‘Riches’ Packs in the Drama as Well as the Glitz
“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” Gets Rave Reviews from African Moviegoers