4 March 2020 | 2 Minutes

As a recent member of the MTN family, Yolanda Cuba is new in the company. From striding through the corridors of Mvelaphanda Group, SAB and other global telecommunication companies, Yolanda joins MTN as a seasoned professional, bringing years of expertise into play for her pivotal new role. Yolanda is part of a new wave of women who are demonstrating just how potent they can be when heading core portfolios in the digital world.

Raising the bar on gender diversity, Yolanda’s African exposure and years of extensive business experience on the continent places MTN solidly on track to achieving strategic expansion in the digital solutions and financial services sectors. In MTN’s transformation towards a fully digital enterprise, Yolanda epitomises the growth of women in the ICT field in Africa. One of a number of rising role models for African girls and women across the land, Yolanda also scooped Telecom CEO of the year in 2018 while still with Vodafone in Ghana.

Yolanda has a unique combination of operational telecommunications experience as well as finance, financial services and digital skills. She is gleefully facing the monumental task of scaling MTN’s digital ecosystem across multiple and diverse markets. As International Women’s Day approaches on the 8th of March 2020, the UN and world at large is taking stock of women’s rise in all echelons of society. Remarkably, the IT industry has been smart enough to address gender equality issues in its makeup. While other industries are lagging, IT knows a good thing when it sees it.

Professional women like Yolanda Cuba demonstrate the huge benefits of such gender diversity. With research going into just how fintech might completely change Africa’s dynamics for the better, Yolanda’s role will enable strategy in line with gender equality, financial inclusion and sustainability at the forefront.

As one of a rising number of successful women at the helm of fintech in Africa, Yolanda’s fearless professionalism and extensive work experience serve as an inspiration to ordinary women across Africa. A qualified CA, she has also brought a Masters in Commerce to bear in her work across the continent. In 2020, as MTN is poised on the cusp of a bright future, Yolanda will successfully negotiate the diverse landscape of digital regulation and development in Africa and help to lead the company into a bright future.

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