About Us

Our purpose is “Shaping Africa’s Most Impactful Businesses”

Africa Context Advisory Partners

is an Africa-focused Advisory firm which provides business advisory and consulting services to business leaders, companies, Investors and Governments in the following areas: ICT, Africa business market entry & expansion, Doing Business in Africa and CEO/C-Suite Mentoring & Leadership Support.

Our purpose is “Shaping Africa’s Most Impactful Businesses” through the advisory services we provide to business leaders, companies and investors. Africa Context Advisory Partners consists of seasoned and successful leaders with experience in operating, managing and growing large businesses in Africa. Our foundational telecom expertise and leadership experience is easily adaptable to other industries including technology, digital and Consumer-related areas.

At the very heart of the Africa Context unique value proposition is our practical leadership experience in African markets which provides a unique combination of thought leadership and business insights available to support Global, Pan-African and/or local companies and leaders in their growth journey in and across Africa. Africa Context Advisory Partners brings global experience and exposure aligned with rich relevant local expertise, insight and leadership talent across Africa.

Africa Context Advisory Partners has built a network of credible experienced leaders across key markets in Africa operating as Technical and/or Executive Consultants on the Africa Context Platform and working together based on established methodologies to deliver qualitative advisory/consulting to clients both within and outside Africa.

Africa Context Advisory Partnershas built a network of credible experienced leaders across key markets

Advisory & Consulting Team

Michael Ikpoki

Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

Accomplished Multinational Business Executive and leader with proven experience in successfully managing and growing telecom/consumer businesses in the largest economies in Africa. A lawyer by training, with over twenty five (25) years African Telecommunications Industry Experience.

This covers six (6) years public sector experience in Nigerian Communications Commission (Nigerian Telecom Industry Regulator), fourteen (14) years experience in the MTN Group and six (6) years in Advisory/Consulting experience in Africa. Specific Operational Industry experience include Regulatory Management, Commercial Operations & Management, General Business Management, Strategic/C-Level & Country Leadership capabilities in very fast moving and intensely competitive telecommunications markets in Africa.

Proven experience in successfully managing and growing telecommunications operations in some of the largest economies in Africa during his tenures as CEO of MTN Ghana and CEO of MTN Nigeria respectively between 2011 and 2015. Under his leadership, he entrenched MTN’s market leadership position in both markets. MTN Group is the largest mobile telecom operator in Africa. In his Operational Senior leadership and CEO roles, he has successfully deployed effective leadership to deliver concrete results through strategic thinking, business transformation, challenging individuals and teams to optimum performance with clinical focus on results, effective integration across the business, inclusive leadership, effective employee engagement and instilling great culture as the bedrock of sustained Organisational success. He left MTN in December 2015 and founded Africa Context Advisory Partners, an Africa-focused business advisory company which provides business advisory services in Market entry and growth particularly in ICT and Consumer-related Industries in West Africa. His unique combination of functional experience in policy/regulatory management, industry/commercial operations, general management/C-level and country management/ leadership roles in African Multinationals provides an invaluable resource capability to advise holding companies and interested investors seeking to establish businesses in fast-moving and intensely competitive industries in Africa. He is still active in his functional ICT space where he continues to serve as a Senior resource, analyst and consultant in areas including strategy, commercial due diligence, business operations, policy & regulatory and new business development. This foundational telecom expertise and leadership experience is easily adaptable to other industries including Consumer, Technology and Digital.

He has been engaged by aspiring and existing CEOs for leadership mentoring and has now created the Africa Context CEO Mentoring Experience™ service which is a curated service and platform for mentoring CEOs in Africa. He also actively speaks to Executive leadership teams, Investor Groups, Boards and select audiences on Doing Business in Africa and Business leadership.

He provides growth advisory services to holding companies and interested investors seeking to establish businesses especially in West Africa. He also mentors CEOs/Senior leaders and speaks to select audiences on ICT, Doing Business in Africa and Business Leadership.

Michael IkpokiChief Executive Officer (CEO) Africa Context Advisory Partners

Abolaji Idowu

Principal Business & Financial Consultant

Abolaji Idowu is a dynamic business development, finance & risk executive with proven record of successfully leading business transformation and acquisitions for various organisations across Europe and Africa.

He has over 18 years of professional experience, leading and delivering successful strategic change and transformation initiatives across various sectors, which include Telecoms, Banking, Insurance and Oil and Gas, Healthcare and Education. His experience includes starting up business units, re-structuring and turning around under- performing units.

He has helped broker deals, manage stakeholders and successfully delivered results across a spectrum of multi mullion dollar projects. Abolaji is a Director with Ristra Consulting UK, providing business & strategy consulting to global giants such as Telefonica O2, Vodafone, Barclays, British Gas, HCA, Fortis Bank, Bupa Global, Co- Operative Banking Group and The Warranty Group. He has extensive exposure to mobile technology from various senior management roles within telecommunications companies such as MTN, Vodafone and Telefonica O2 and Starcomms Nigeria.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in Management & Accounting from Obafemi Awolowo University, an MBA from Manchester Business School and he is a certified business coach and certified chartered accountant (ACCA). He is a guest on many radio and TV programs and speaks on many stages in Europe & Africa.

Abolaji Idowu Principal Business & Financial Consultant Africa Context Advisory Partners

Obafemi Banigbe

Principal Technology Consultant

is a seasoned technology leader, entrepreneur, advisor, and thought-leader, who has been at the driver’s seat of technology innovations and initiatives across key markets Africa, often in C-level roles.

He has in-depth understanding of today’s complex business environment prevalent within African market and the need to ensure that business objectives and commercial requirements are translated into optimal business strategy leading to successful execution. Obafemi is the current co-founder and CEO of TV Anywhere Africa; an emerging media technology company that offers IPTV/OTT Platform-as-a-Service, local and international content aggregation, and customized, a white-label user interface to enable telecom operators, internet service providers, and independent OTT players to profitably deliver high-quality content to their userbase in a cost-effective manner. He is a also co-founder and Managing Partner of Silver Rock Technology Services, an advisory and execution support firm with expertise within the Telecom, Media, and Technology industry. Obafemi was also, the former Chief Operations Officer of Millicom Ghana, the operator of the Tigo network in Ghana. At Millicom, he was responsible for driving the overall operations strategy of the business in Ghana. Prior to his role as COO, Obafemi had a six-month stint as the acting CEO for Millicom Ghana. He also previously served as the Chief Technical Officer for Millicom Ghana. Prior to Millicom Ghana, Obafemi served as the Chief Technical Officer for Millicom International Cellular Tanzania where he helped drive technology strategy.

Earlier in his career, Obafemi served as the Chief Technical Officer for Millicom International Cellular Tanzania where he helped drive technology strategy. Prior to joining Millicom, Obafemi worked with Celtel (Airtel) Nigeria as the Director of Operations. He had also worked with Ericsson in several capacities, the last being the Network Support Group Manager for Access and Transport Networks.

Obafemi is a resourceful change leader able to help a business navigate complex management and organizational change curves while ensuring minimal disruption to business deliverables. He has an in-depth understanding of strategic business management ensuring that business strategies are properly aligned with the specific market context in order to gain a sustainable competitive advantage In addition, Obafemi brings on board strong financial management skills with an in-depth understanding of business profitability drivers.

Overall, Obafemi has a demonstrable ability to manage across different cultures, with extensive multi-cultural and multi-national exposure having worked in a highly diverse team across multiple markets, within and outside the African continent. He is a team player with strong interpersonal and business leadership skills required to engage and rally the team towards the achievement of overall business objectives.

Obafemi holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the Federal University of Technology Minna, Nigeria. He is a graduate of the Ericsson Management Development Program, as well as a product of the Advanced Management Program of London Business School. He also holds an MBA degree from Manchester Business School, U.K.

Obafemi BanigbePrincipal Technology Consultant Africa Context Advisory Partners