TrueCaller appoints new country manager for Nigeria

TrueCaller, the leading global caller ID platform has appointed a new country manager for Nigeria, Ogochukwu Onwuzurike.

This is part of Truecaller’s effort to expand its operations in what it terms ‘growth markets’ in Nigeria and Colombia.

This was made known by the Chairman of Truecaller, Nami Zarringhalam, who in a statement introduced the newly appointed Country Managers for Nigeria and Colombia.

What the TrueCaller Chairman is saying
Zarringhalam in his statement said,

“I’m pleased to welcome Ogochukwu and Nicolás to the Truecaller team.

"Ogo and Nicolás bring with them a wealth of experience that will greatly benefit our ambitious plans. We have long since wanted to add local expertise and regional knowledge in Nigeria and Colombia and now with Ogo’s and Nicolás’ appointment, I am confident that having feet on the ground will enhance our capabilities further.

“We have clear ambitions to further grow the promising African and Latin American markets, deliver our class-leading caller ID and spam blocking functionality as well as cater to the needs of the diverse businesses that operate in the region.”

Ogochukwu Onwuzurike who now serves as Truecaller’s country manager for Nigeria, previously served as the Sales Director for Africa at MetaMap, an identity verification service.

Before then, she worked with Interswitch as a Business Development Manager for emerging markets. She started her career in the banking industry as an executive trainee at Zenith Bank.

What you should know

Truecaller which operates out of Stockholm, Sweden was founded by Indians, with a major focus on the Indian market.

However, over the last few years, the company has been increasing its customer base outside India, recording over 100 million monthly active users outside India during the last quarter.

Within the Nigerian scene, the Truecaller app has come under government scrutiny over “potential breaches to the privacy rights of Nigerians.”

In 2019, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) asserted that the privacy policy of the app was in violation of certain regulations outlined in Nigeria’s Data Protection Regulation (NDPR).

Then later in the year, the Director General (DG) of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa, stated that Truecaller would align its operations with Nigeria’s data regulations, which was seen as a potential solution to the conflict.

However, the data rights landscape has evolved since then with the introduction of the Nigerian Data Protection Act in 2023.

What this means

The appointment of a country manager in Nigeria by Truecaller is a strategic move targeted at broadening the company’s footprint in Nigeria.

Moreover, this step serves to establish a dedicated liaison for Truecaller in one of its prominent African markets. The country manager’s responsibilities would encompass overseeing the entire spectrum of operations for the Truecaller app in Nigeria, alongside ensuring compliance with the regulatory framework outlined by Nigerian laws.