Middle East and Africa
We create technology that helps the world act together.
As a trusted partner for critical networks, we are committed to innovation and technology leadership across mobile, fixed and cloud networks. We create value with intellectual property and long-term research, led by the award-winning Nokia Bell Labs.
Adhering to the highest standards of integrity and security, we help build the capabilities needed for a more productive, sustainable and inclusive world.
Our presence in Middle East and Africa
~ 3,200 employees
38 countries with offices
Middle East and Africa headquarters – Dubai, UAE
Our 5G momentum
Operators in the Middle East and Africa were among the first ones globally to introduce Nokia 5G technology and the momentum continues.
Driving innovation
We invest significantly in communication technology R&D to drive innovation across entire networks.

Nokia and stc launch the operation of Technology Innovation Center to stimulate innovation
Nokia and stc announced a joint collaboration to operate stc’s Technology Innovation Center in Riyadh. An agreement was signed to this extent by Abdullah Alowini, VP, Technology Strategy and Architecture at stc, and Khalid Hussain, Saudi Country Senior Officer at Nokia, in the presence of Haitham Al Faraj, SVP, Technology and Operations at stc, and Amr K. El Leithy, Head of Middle East and Africa Market at Nokia. The five-year project will see Nokia carry out several programs to help stc develop at least four truly innovative use cases every year to support stc’s business goals.

Saudi MCIT, Nokia ink deal to set up global software development unit
The Saudi Ministry of Communications and Information Technology [MCIT] and Nokia agreed to launch Nokia R&D unit for developing software in Saudi Arabia. The agreement was signed by H.E Deputy Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Eng. Haitham Bin Abdul-Rahman Al-Ohali, and Amr K. El Leithy, Head of the Middle East and Africa Market, Nokia, in the presence of H.E Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Eng. Abdullah Bin Amer Alswaha and Rajeev Suri, the President and CEO of Nokia as well as a number of officials and dignitaries of both the parties.

Nokia collaborates with two leading universities in Ethiopia to promote digital skills and innovation
Nokia signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Addis Ababa Science and Technology University and Addis Ababa Institute of Technology in order to collaborate and provide high-level technical skills to students in line with rapidly changing market needs.
Webinar: Helping MEA CSPs overcome a global crisis
In this webinar Aji Ed, Nokia CTO for Middle East and Africa market, discussed how to help MEA CSPs address new network requirements, covering automated Services & Operations, #Stayhome Access and Connectivity and the critical need for resilient and scalable transport networks.
Customer success videos
News in Middle East and Africa
Press releases
- 30 Nov 2020: Nokia and Airtel Kenya lay 5G foundations in Nairobi
- 17 Nov 2020: Nokia to deploy internet gateway for ITPC network in Iraq
- 15 May 2020: stc Group and Nokia sign a strategic 5-year Master Frame Agreement
- 12 May 2020: stc launching AgileWAN in collaboration with NOKIA offering a complete managed SD-WAN service
- 20 Feb 2020: Ooredoo Qatar to use Nokia AI-powered customer engagement solution towards monetizing 5G and providing improved digital experiences to users
- 12 Feb 2020: Spectranet and Nokia to provide 100+ Mbps ultra broadband services with FTTH to home and business users in Nigeria
- 30 Sep 2019: Nokia completes world’s first single-carrier terabit-per-second field trial, sets optical transmission capacity record over Etisalat’s fibre network in UAE
- 13 Jun 2019: Ooredoo Algeria deploys Nokia Cloud Mobile Gateway to transform its network for next generation broadband services
- 12 Jun 2019: Nokia and UNICEF launch partnership to boost digital literacy in primary schools in Kenya
- 28 May 2019: Vodafone Egypt deploys Nokia Subscriber Data Management over telco cloud for faster rollout of LTE services
- 14 Feb 2019: Advancing its digital transformation with Nokia, Telenor Pakistan deploys country's first 5G-ready cloud-based RAN platform and controllers
- 19 Sep 2018: Nuage Networks unveils SD-WAN 2.0, the industry's only automated and secure services platform for the delivery of enterprise IT services across any network and cloud
Middle East and Africa leadership
Amr K. El Leithy
Head of the MEA Market
Rima Manna
Head of Middle East Market Unit
Khalid Hussain
Head of Customer Business Team, stc
Samer Lutfi
Head of Group Business Team, Ooredoo
Pierre Chaume
Head of North, West Africa & Orange Market Unit
Rajiv Aggarwal
Head of Central, East & West Africa Market Unit
Toni Pellegrino
Head of Customer Business Team, Vodafone
Naveed Kashif
Head of Southern Africa & Customer Business Team, MTN
Radwa Hafez
Head of Sales Support & Customer Success
Soenke Peters
Head of Strategy & Technology
Kamal Ballout
Head of Nokia Enterprise
Joachim Wuilmet
Head of Marketing
Bernard Najm
Head of Mobile Networks
Henrique Vale
Head of Cloud and Network Services
Roque Lozano
Head of IP & Optics
Mohamed Salama
Head of Fixed Networks