Ex-Google Topshot Teju Ajani Joins Apple As Country Head

Apple has appointed Ms. Teju Ajani as Managing Director for its Nigeria operation.

According to her LinkedIn profile, Teju will resume the role this month to oversee Apple’s sales and business development.

Teju was formerly with Google Nigeria as Head for Android, a role she occupied since April 2018.

She has also held various leadership positions in YouTube as Head of Content Partnerships in sub-Saharan Africa, and Oracle as Principal Product Manager.

Teju —who is bringing to the table over two decades of experience as a software engineer— has a record of representing global tech giants not only in Nigeria but also on the continent.

With Teju’s appointment, she will be Apple’s first Africa top-executive employment.

“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,” Teju stated in a social media post.

Industry analysts have seen the latest development as a bold move if the intention of Apple is to finally take critical interests in the African market —although only a fraction of the population uses its products.

From a recent study, less than 10% of Nigerians uses iOS as the country is dominated by Android.

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

With this appointment, it remains to be seen if Apple products —iPhones, iPads, and Macbooks— will gain more traction in Nigeria and perhaps, Nigerians should also expect an official Apple store, which would be the first in Africa.