MultiChoice Appoints New Nigeria CEO as John Ugbe Retires After 15 Years
- Kemi Omotosho will take over as CEO of MultiChoice Nigeria from January 2026
- Her predecessor, John Ugbe, has retired after nearly 15 years in office
- Omotosho has over 20 years of leadership experience across the media and telecoms sectors
Oluwatobi Odeyinka is a business editor at Legit.ng, covering energy, the money market, technology and macroeconomic trends in Nigeria.
MultiChoice Nigeria has announced a change in leadership, with Chief Executive Officer John Ugbe retiring after nearly 15 years in office and Kemi Omotosho set to take over as the new CEO from January 2026.
The company, a subsidiary of Canal+ Group, confirmed the development in a statement, noting that the transition follows a structured succession process to ensure continuity and stability in its Nigerian operations.
Source: UGC
Ugbe is stepping down after overseeing a period of major transformation at MultiChoice Nigeria, during which the company navigated significant industry and market changes while strengthening its operational and long-term strategic foundations.
Omotosho with over 20 years of experience
Omotosho, who will assume the role of Chief Executive Officer, Nigeria, brings more than two decades of leadership experience spanning media, telecommunications, and digital businesses across Nigeria and sub-Saharan Africa.
According to the company, she has held several senior positions within the MultiChoice Group, including Executive Head of Customer Value Management in Nigeria and Group Executive Head of Customer Value Management for Rest of Africa, where she provided functional leadership across over 50 markets.
Her most recent role was as Regional Director for Southern Africa, where she had full profit and loss responsibility for operations across seven countries.
Omotosho to guide company’s strategy
MultiChoice said Omotosho’s track record in leading complex organisations, driving disciplined growth, and building high-performing teams positions her to guide the company’s strategy, operations, and stakeholder engagement in Nigeria.
Speaking on her appointment, Omotosho said she was honoured to be entrusted with the leadership of MultiChoice Nigeria at a critical time for the business.
She described Nigeria as one of the Group’s most strategic markets and said she looks forward to working with teams and partners to strengthen relationships with consumers, promote local storytelling and the creative economy, and build a future-ready organisation that delivers sustainable value.
The company added that the leadership transition reflects its commitment to long-term planning and operational stability.
Source: Getty Images
MultiChoice opens applications for talent factory
Recall that MultiChoice recently announced the opening of applications for the 2026 edition of its MultiChoice Talent Factory (MTF) Film and Television Training Programme, inviting aspiring African filmmakers, directors, producers, scriptwriters and storytellers to apply.
The nine-month programme combines online learning with intensive in-person training and is delivered through academies in Nigeria, Kenya and Zambia.
Since 2018, Multichoice said its talent factory has trained 296 filmmakers, produced over 42 films broadcast on DStv, GOtv and Showmax.
MultiChoice reduces price
Legit.ng earlier reported that MultiChoice confirmed the reduction of decoder prices for DStv and GOtv for new customers.
The changes are the second price slash following similar reductions under the ‘We’ve Got You’ campaign in June.
Canal+, the new owner of MultiChoice, has also promised to make premium entertainment more affordable.
Source: Legit.ng
