One on one with Joseph Bogera the newly appointed General Manager Sales and Distribution MTN Uganda.
Just over 8 months ago MTN Uganda appointed Joseph Bogera as the General Manager Sales and Distribution. Joseph is a seasoned sales professional who began his career with MTN Uganda as a Business Account Manager, moved to MTN Rwanda as a Corporate Sales Manager, Uganda Breweries as a Divisional Sales Manager.
Joseph progressed to work as the Country Manager for Brightsarcorp Limited covering 11 countries including Zambia, Botswana, Mauritius, Kenya, and DRC, and more recently before returning to MTN Uganda as General Manager – GOtv Uganda.
We caught up with Joseph to understand his role as GM – Sales and Distribution and his passion for success.
(Q): Describe your role as General Manager Sales and Distribution at MTN Uganda
Joseph Bogera (JB): First and foremost, I would like to say this has been a baptism of fire of sorts, soon after I was appointed in September 2019, we got hit by COVID-19. The subsequent lockdown narrowed our traditional operating space like never before but then opened new doors of opportunity that many people who only used the internet in the office opened up to our services.
As GM, I lead a nationwide team of over 120 exceptionally talented Ugandans whose single focus is growing our customer base, ensuring we are delivering on our Customer promise and addressing their every need.
Q: We have witnessed migration from voice to data especially during the Lockdown how has this affected your strategy
JB: My core responsibility as the head of MTN Uganda’s Sales and Distribution is to optimize resources as the company hits the course of Digital Distribution. For MTN the migration started well before COVID-19 under the Digital for Good’ initiative.
My focus now is spearheading key change initiatives through a robust Digital Distribution ecosystem which will create long-lasting value for our Customers, Distributors, Agents, employees, and our country Uganda.
Q: Is there room for growth in Uganda?
JB: Incredible opportunity. Uganda has a low penetration of mobile handsets and smartphones, without a doubt there is a great opportunity for the telecom sector, especially with the big youthful population and hunger for information and entertainment.
With Digital Distribution, as a priority pillar, our goal is to move towards a cashless and convenience in the palm of your hands and that is why we have to urgently address the affordability of handsets. Owning a smartphone should not be a privilege anymore.