Online Reporter
Stanford Chiwanga, [email protected]
GROWING up in Zimbabwe, Ralph Mupita spent countless hours gazing at the sky, captivated by the mysteries hidden beyond the clouds. Like many children, he dreamed big, but his ambitions stretched even further than most.
He envisioned a future among the stars, exploring distant worlds as an astronaut. Fate, however, steered him in a different direction. Although he never made it into space, the journey he eventually embarked upon on earth would prove just as extraordinary.
Today, Mupita stands among Africa’s most respected corporate leaders. As Group President and Chief Executive Officer of MTN, one of the continent’s largest telecommunications companies and the second-largest mobile network operator in South Africa, he oversees a business that connects hundreds of millions of people across numerous countries.
His leadership role has also made him one of the highest-paid executives in South African business, with a remuneration package that reflects both the scale of the organisation he leads and the responsibility that comes with guiding it through an increasingly complex digital era.
Mupita’s story is one of determination, adaptability and an unwavering commitment to personal growth.
Born and raised in Zimbabwe, he spent his formative years there before completing high school and setting his sights on South Africa in pursuit of higher education.
It was a move that would shape the course of his future and open doors to opportunities that would eventually place him at the forefront of African business.
Unlike the astronaut career he once imagined, Mupita initially chose a path grounded in science and engineering. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering and later completed a Master of Business Administration at the University of Cape Town, one of Africa’s leading academic institutions.
Never one to stop learning, he also attended Harvard University, where he completed the Graduate Management Program, further sharpening the leadership skills that would later define his career.
His professional journey began in Cape Town, where he worked as a staff civil engineer at Haw and Inglis Civil Engineering. For more than three years, he immersed himself in the technical world of engineering, building practical experience and developing a disciplined approach to problem-solving. Yet while engineering provided a strong foundation, Mupita’s ambitions would eventually carry him into the world of business, finance and corporate leadership.
Before joining MTN, Mupita built an impressive reputation within the financial services sector. He served as Chief Executive Officer of Old Mutual Emerging Markets between 2012 and 2017, leading operations that stretched across 19 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
Under his stewardship, the business served around 19 million customers and managed assets worth approximately R1 trillion, responsibilities that placed him among the continent’s most influential executives long before his arrival at MTN.
His experience across emerging markets made him an attractive candidate for MTN, a company operating in diverse and rapidly evolving economies. According to the telecommunications giant, “Ralph Mupita is a seasoned business leader with a career spanning engineering, financial services and telecommunications across emerging markets.”
Mupita joined MTN as Group Chief Financial Officer in April 2017 before rising to become Group President and Chief Executive Officer in September 2020.
Since assuming the top role, he has been credited with helping strengthen the company’s financial position, streamline its operations and expand local participation through public listings in countries including Ghana, Nigeria, Rwanda and Uganda.
His influence extends beyond MTN’s boardroom. Mupita serves on several boards within the MTN ecosystem, including MTN South Africa, MTN Nigeria and MTN Group Fintech. He also plays an active role on the global stage as Deputy Chair of the GSMA and as a Commissioner on the Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development, positions that place him at the centre of conversations about the future of connectivity and digital inclusion.
The scale of his responsibilities is matched by his remuneration. MTN disclosed that Mupita received total remuneration of R99,313 million for the 2025 financial year, representing a significant increase from the R64,751 million he earned in 2024. The rise was largely driven by higher short-term incentives and the vesting of long-term incentives after the company returned to profitability.
His reward came as MTN delivered a dramatic turnaround in performance. After reporting a loss of R10,9 billion in 2024, largely linked to the devaluation of the Nigerian naira, the company rebounded strongly in 2025 with a profit of R27,4 billion.
The group’s customer base also surpassed the 300 million mark, highlighting the scale and reach of its operations across the continent.
Reflecting on the company’s performance, Mupita said: “Operationally, we delivered strong growth in earnings, free cash flow and improved returns. The performance was underpinned by improved macroeconomic conditions in key markets and driven by strong operational execution and disciplined capital allocation,” he said.
Under his leadership, MTN’s service revenue increased significantly, supported by strong growth in major markets such as Nigeria and Ghana.
The company also invested heavily in infrastructure and technology, spending R38,5 billion on networks and platforms while connecting millions of new customers across its footprint.
l Elements of this article were adapted from a report published by BusinessTech.
