MTN Group has just pulled off something no telecom company from an emerging market has ever done before. MTN Group has emerged as the world’s second-highest ranked technology and telecommunications company in the 2026 Ranking Digital Rights Index, marking the highest-ever position attained by a telecommunications operator headquartered in an emerging market. This matters a lot for Nigeria specifically, since MTN’s largest market is Nigeria, where the company also owns MTN Nigeria.
MTN climbed from sixth place in the previous assessment to second position globally, becoming the first telecoms company based in an emerging economy to rank among the top three performers in this influential digital rights benchmark. That is not a small jump. Moving from sixth to second in a single year shows MTN made real, deliberate changes rather than just a lucky shift in scoring.
The Ranking Digital Rights Index is produced under the World Benchmarking Alliance’s Digital Benchmark and is regarded as one of the world’s leading assessments of how technology and telecommunications companies protect users’ digital rights. The index evaluates companies on governance, freedom of expression, and privacy, based on publicly disclosed policies, governance structures, and transparency practices. In simple terms, this is not about network speed or call quality. It is about how openly and responsibly a company handles your data, your privacy, and your rights as a user.
MTN scored 42 out of 100 in the 2026 assessment, trailing only Spain-based Telefónica, which retained the top position with 57 points. What stands out even more is who MTN ranked above. MTN ranked ahead of several global technology companies, including Microsoft, Alphabet, Meta, Apple, and ByteDance. For a company headquartered in Africa to outscore some of the biggest names in global tech on digital rights is a genuinely rare achievement.
According to MTN, its improved performance in the 2026 index was driven by stronger scores across all three assessment pillars, including enhanced governance disclosures, the introduction of a comprehensive advertising content policy, and strengthened user data protection measures.
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Nompilo Morafo, MTN Group’s Chief Sustainability and Corporate Affairs Officer, said the improved ranking reflects years of deliberate effort to strengthen the company’s governance framework. She said the company’s progress in the index reflects the deliberate steps taken to strengthen governance, enhance transparency, and embed respect for digital human rights across its operations. Morafo added that MTN deliberately adapts its approach as the landscape changes, drawing on lessons from its experiences across different markets and strengthening how it translates commitments into practical action.
Despite the strong result, MTN was careful not to treat this as a finished achievement. Morafo said that while the company is encouraged by this progress, protecting digital rights is an ongoing responsibility, adding that MTN will continue refining its approach to address emerging risks and ensure customers remain at the centre of how it operates. MTN says it will continue strengthening transparency and disclosure practices, embedding digital human rights across all its markets, enhancing governance and accountability mechanisms, and aligning with evolving international standards.
This ranking carries extra weight for Nigeria because of just how big MTN’s presence is here. As of March 2026, telecommunications operators in Nigeria served approximately 185.7 million active subscribers and 153.8 million internet users, underscoring the scale of the country’s digital ecosystem and the growing importance of protecting users’ privacy and digital rights. For MTN, which serves millions of subscribers across 16 African markets, strengthening governance around privacy, transparency, and digital rights has become increasingly important as the Group expands its fintech, enterprise, and digital services businesses across the continent.
The improved ranking comes amid growing scrutiny of how telecommunications and technology companies collect, process, and protect user data as internet access expands, artificial intelligence adoption accelerates, and digital services become increasingly data-driven. The telecoms group says operating across diverse regulatory environments requires balancing digital inclusion objectives with respect for human rights and customer privacy, especially as governments around the world introduce stricter data protection regulations and technology companies deploy artificial intelligence at scale.
A high ranking on a global index does not automatically mean every individual experience with MTN will feel perfect. But it does suggest the company has made real, documented commitments around how it handles your data and respects your digital rights, commitments that are now being checked by an independent global benchmark, not just MTN’s own marketing. Telefónica topped the 2026 ranking with 57 points, while MTN’s second-place finish represents a landmark achievement for Africa’s telecommunications industry and signals the growing importance of digital trust as a competitive differentiator in the global digital economy. For millions of Nigerians who rely on MTN daily, that growing emphasis on digital trust is something worth watching closely in the months ahead.
