MTN Nigeria didn’t double its workforce in 2025. It doubled the number of people earning at least ₦2.4 million every month.
According to the company’s full-year 2025 financial report, 659 employees now earn a minimum of ₦29.5 million per year. That’s a 97.3% increase from 2024.
Interestingly, the company’s total staff strength only moved from 1,912 to 2,001 within the same period. So, this isn’t about mass hiring. 
The numbers suggest a shift in structure, not size. Instead of expanding its workforce aggressively, MTN appears to be concentrating its spending on high-impact roles. These include network operations, digital services, artificial intelligence systems, cloud infrastructure, and customer experience management. In simple terms: fewer average roles, more specialised and highly technical ones.
Nigeria’s inflation rate climbed above 30% in late 2024 and remained high throughout 2025. With skilled professionals, especially engineers, developers, and tech managers, leaving the country for better pay and stability abroad. Companies that didn’t adjust salaries risked losing staff.
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Why MTN Nigeria is Paying More
A 2024 report by Boston Consulting Group and its partners found that 64% of Nigerian professionals are actively looking for jobs abroad. The global average is just 23%. This statistic explains why top companies are raising pay.
While the top salary band expanded, some mid-level salary categories actually shrank. Employees earning between ₦14.5 million and ₦17.5 million annually dropped by 70%.
In other words, more people were moved upward into higher pay brackets rather than new people being brought in.
This salary increment comes at a time when the telecom sector is recovering. After suffering foreign exchange-related losses in 2024, telecom companies secured a regulatory approval for a 50% tariff increase in early 2025.
With an increase in tariff came stronger revenue across data, voice, fintech, and digital services, making the company now have the financial room to support higher wage bills.
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