Bonus Episode: Dive deeper into the minds of the leaders behind Globacom & MTN. How did Mike Adenuga, Phuthuma Nhleko, Karl Toriola, and Jide Sanwoolu shape the competition in Nigeria’s telecom industry? This bonus content uncovers their personalities, values, and decisions—what worked, what didn’t, and why. Listen now!

In Nigeria’s booming telecom sector, the early 2000s saw a showdown between MTN (the South African entrant) and Globacom (Mike Adenuga’s indigenous Nigerian network). This episode recounts how Globacom launched as the first Nigerian-owned GSM operator in 2003 and took on the established foreign players with cheaper rates and per-second billing. By offering innovations tailored to Nigerians, “Glo” grew to become the second-largest operator behind MTN, proving a local company could challenge a multinational on home soil. This rivalry highlights themes of nationalism, regulatory influence, and fierce marketing wars for Nigeria’s tens of millions of subscribers.

Global markets. Giant egos. Telecom wars. In this bonus episode, Empire & Legacy takes you behind the scenes of MTN vs Orange—unpacking global shifts, CEO mindsets, and strategies that shaped Africa’s digital boom. Which stories should we explore next?

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