Apple appoints Teju Ajani as Nigeria head

A former country manager of Android for Google, Teju Ajani has been appointed as the managing director for Apple in Nigeria with immediate effect.

According to her LinkedIn profile, she resumed the role this month. Ajani, who will oversee sales and business development at Apple, announced the appointment on Tuesday.

Prior to her new role, Ajani was the principal product manager at Oracle and business development manager at Google for Nigeria.

She also served as the YouTube head of content partnerships for Sub Saharan Africa between January 2014 and April 2018.

The software engineer said her years of experience will guide her in contributing to the organisation and impacting positively in Africa.

“The great thing about experience is that you get to take it with you wherever you go. Along the way, you get to know your (corporate) self and if lucky, figure out who you want to be “when you grow up”. Successes, failures, lessons learned, all go with you from place to place where you get to reflect, add and refine them,” she wrote.

“I’m excited to be starting a new role with an amazing company and brand, Apple, in Nigeria and bringing all that to bear. Having intentionally sought a role in Africa and worked specifically on the continent for the past decade, the pace of growth and possibilities are still exciting and make it a dynamic place to figure out how to bring another global brand to bear.

“Africa does have its challenges right alongside all the opportunities. It is a place that can reward long term vision versus short term focus. Technology is very much an enabler, just like it most of the rest of the world. However, the impact on Africa is, and can continue to be exponential.

“Being part of that enabling force is extremely rewarding and something I am excited to continue in a new capacity and bring all that experience to bear upon. Here’s to work adventures.”

According to a recent study, less than 10% of Nigerians use Apple’s iOS as the country is dominated by Android.

Apart from that, the continent has no official Apple office, only reseller stores in South Africa.

It is noteworthy that Ajani’s appointment will be Apple’s first Africa top-executive employment. Of course, we do not forget the Nigerians and Africans already working at Apple’s foreign offices.

Going by a similar move in India in 2018, where it has intensified its presence, the county’s iOS market has since seen tremendous growth.