Anwar Soussa Background and Career Path

Anwar Soussa was a renowned Egyptian mathematician and computer scientist.

He was born in 1925 in Egypt.

Soussa earned his Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of Paris in 1950.

This marked the beginning of his illustrious academic career.

Anwar Soussa has spent over 20 years of his career in the management of telecommunication networks, with experience on the African continent, in the Middle East, and in Oceania.

He has held various leadership positions, including Commercial Director at Digicel in Papua New Guinea and CEO of Airtel's Chadian operation in Ndjamena.

Anwar has also served as the Chief Operating Officer for MTN Cyprus and as the managing director of Vodacom DRC, where he oversaw the company's growth and exceeded $500 million in gross revenue for the first time in 2020.

Here's a brief summary of his career milestones:

Anwar is a Greek national. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Management from the American College of Greece in Athens, Greece. His academic background is impressive, considering he earned a Master of Science in Business Administration and Management from Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada in 1998.

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Anwar has spent over two decades building a remarkable career in the management of telecommunication networks across the African continent.

He started working as a commercial officer for Orascom in the Central African Republic and later for Veon in Zimbabwe.

After that, he was hired by Digicel in Papua New Guinea, where he served as the Commercial Director from 2012 until 2013.

He then took on the role of Chief Operating Officer for MTN Cyprus, based in Nicosia, for two years ending 2015.

Anwar's experience in leadership positions continued with Airtel, where he served as the CEO of their Chadian operation, based in Ndjamena.

From there, he was transferred to Uganda and took on the same role for Airtel Uganda, based in Kampala, between 2016 and 2017.

In 2017, he was hired as managing director of Vodacom DRC, where he successfully turned the unit into the largest Vodacom operation outside of South Africa.

Vodacom DRC exceeded $500 million in gross revenue for the first time in 2020, a testament to Anwar's leadership skills and strategic vision.

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Anwar Soussa was selected by the consortium that owns Safaricom Telecommunications Ethiopia (STE) to be the founding managing director of their Ethiopian start-up.

Anwar is based in Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia, and reports directly to the CEO of Safaricom in Nairobi.

Safaricom Ethiopia has gained more than 4 million customers with a network that covers 25% of the population across 50 cities and towns.

The company launched its commercial activities in October 2022, after a complicated local socio-economic and security context.

Anwar Soussa was appointed CEO of Safaricom Ethiopia on July 1, 2021, following the acquisition of the country's first private telecommunications operator license by the Global Partnership for Ethiopia consortium.

Before joining Safaricom Ethiopia, Soussa was a managing director at Vodafone in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and was the chairperson of M-Pesa.

Safaricom Ethiopia was granted the license to operate mobile money services in May this year, paving the way for it to launch its popular platform M-Pesa in Ethiopia.

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Anwar Soussa will step down as CEO of Safaricom Ethiopia on July 31, 2023, when his secondment period concludes.

The company has secured financial support from the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) to accelerate the development of its activities in Ethiopia.

Here are some key milestones achieved during Anwar Soussa's tenure at Safaricom Ethiopia:

Anwar Soussa joined Safaricom Ethiopia in August 2021 as the inaugural CEO. He was tasked with executing the consortium's goal of bringing transformational economic and social impact to Ethiopia.

Before joining Safaricom Ethiopia, Soussa was a managing director at Vodafone in the Democratic Republic of Congo and chairperson of M-Pesa, a role he took on in 2017.

Soussa led Safaricom Ethiopia to gain more than 4 million customers with a network that covers 25% of the population across 50 cities and towns.

In May this year, Safaricom Ethiopia was granted the license to operate mobile money services, paving the way for it to launch its popular platform M-Pesa in Ethiopia.

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Safaricom Ethiopia's network now covers more than 25% of the population and 50 towns, with over 4 million customers acquired during Soussa's tenure.

Here are some key milestones achieved during Soussa's tenure:

Anwar Soussa currently works as the Regional Operations Director for the Francophone markets at Airtel Africa Group. He manages several countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo Brazzaville, Chad, Gabon, Niger, Madagascar, and Seychelles.

He is based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where he oversees the operations of these countries.

Anwar Soussa is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Francophone markets in Airtel Africa Group.

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