Women In Leadership - Yolanda Cuba

Yolanda Cuba: Shaping Africa’s Digital Future With Purpose and Power

By Jessie Taylor

In boardrooms, on global panels, and at the heart of high-impact leadership, Yolanda Zoleka Cuba is synonymous with transformation. From her early rise as one of the youngest CEOs on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange to her current role as Group Vice President for Southern and East Africa at MTN, Ms Cuba has consistently charted a path defined by strategic innovation, purpose-driven leadership and social impact.

Her influence spans corporate leadership, digital transformation, youth development, and governance. Now, as a Trustee of the Nelson Mandela Foundation, she stands at the intersection of heritage and future, bridging South Africa’s legacy of liberation with its digital and developmental ambitions.

A Purpose-driven Leader

Born and raised in South Africa during the country’s transition to democracy, Ms Cuba’s ascent in the corporate world was meteoric. By 29, she had already been appointed CEO of Mvelaphanda Group, making her one of the youngest chief executives of a JSE-listed company. She would hold strategic executive positions at Vodacom, SAB, and Vodafone Ghana before taking up her current regional executive role at MTN.

Across these roles, Ms Cuba has become known for her financial and strategic expertise and people-centred leadership approach. Whether driving regional expansion strategies, unlocking digital innovation, or repositioning organisations for inclusive growth, she places ethics and empowerment at the core of everything she does.

In 2022, Ms Cuba was appointed as a trustee of the Nelson Mandela Foundation, a position she described as humbling and deeply meaningful. The Foundation’s mission to contribute to the making of a just society aligns closely with her values, anchored in inclusive opportunity, dignity, and ethical leadership.

Her role on the Board involves providing strategic oversight and contributing to dialogue-centred programming that promotes social justice and memory-based activism. With her background in digital transformation,

Ms Cuba brings a forward-looking perspective to the Foundation’s work, helping bridge the gap between historical advocacy and future-focused innovation.

She’s been instrumental in enhancing the organisation’s governance structures and expanding its digital reach. Her focus has been on bringing the values of the Foundation into a digital era - ensuring that the work of memory, justice and dialogue remains relevant and resonant with younger generations.

In many ways, Ms Cuba’s role with the Foundation mirrors Nelson Mandela’s vision of transformation through service and education. She embodies the next generation of leaders charged with preserving South Africa’s democratic gains while ensuring they adapt to the needs of an increasingly digital society.

Leading Africa’s Digital Expansion

As MTN Group Vice President for Southern and East Africa, Ms Cuba oversees operations in more than 10 countries. Her leadership has been central to MTN’s pivot from a traditional telecoms provider to a digital platform powerhouse. Under her guidance, the company has expanded its fintech and mobile money solutions, particularly in underserved markets.

One of her key achievements has been the push towards mobile money interoperability, ensuring MTN’s financial services work across different networks to deepen access and usability. This move reflects her longstanding commitment to financial inclusion, especially for women, youth, and small businesses in remote and rural areas.

She has also championed MTN’s Ayoba super-app, a locally developed platform offering messaging, content sharing, and micro-app capabilities. With a strong focus on digital literacy and empowerment, Ayoba is now used by millions of Africans and continues to evolve as a one-stop platform for digital engagement.

A firm believer in the power of mentorship, Ms Cuba co-founded The Mentorship Boardroom, a pan-African initiative that aims to impact over one million lives across the continent. The programme connects aspiring professionals – especially young women – with experienced mentors, offering career guidance, personal development, and a space for building self-belief.

Her Cuba-Mtyi Foundation also delivers grassroots impact, focusing on digital literacy, financial capability, and entrepreneurship in township and rural communities. In doing so, Cuba echoes Mandela’s belief that fundamental transformation happens when individuals are empowered to control their destinies.

Ms Cuba is known not only for her intelligence and resilience but also for her inclusive, calm, and collaborative leadership style. Her philosophy is deeply feminist and Afrocentric, focused on transformation through empowerment. She has spoken openly about the challenges women face in executive spaces, particularly in male dominated industries like finance and telecommunications, and continues to advocate for more inclusive leadership pipelines.

Ms Cuba’s achievements are particularly significant in a continent where women remain underrepresented in senior leadership roles. By breaking barriers in executive boardrooms and redefining what leadership looks like, she has paved the way for others to follow.

Sources: Nelson Mandela Foundation | Mail & Guardian | MTN Group | The Mentorship Boardroom | IWFSA | MWC Barcelona | LinkedIn