Managing Director’s Statement: Transformation, Acceleration and the Next Chapter for CMC

: 17 December 2025

2025 has been a transformative year for CMC Networks. I knew I was stepping into a company with deep roots, talented people and a unique approach to serving Africa and the Middle East.

What I discovered in my first few months has reinforced that belief even further. CMC has one of the strongest technical teams in the region, providing on-the-ground expertise and AI-based operations (AIOps). The combination of local talent, reach and technical capability is a core strength, and the foundation for the next chapter of our business.

We’re ready to evolve our business from a legacy aggregation model to become a solutions-driven digital infrastructure provider. We are on a transformation journey and must build deep insights, tools and skills to compete in the market at a higher level. With the right focus, discipline and ambition, we will turn this transformation into long-term competitive advantages.

Over the past few months, I have spent significant time with our teams, our partners and our customers. The message has been consistent: Our customer experience is our differentiator. Our ability to deliver in some of the most complex and high-growth markets sets us apart and creates opportunities to serve new customer demands.

From Validation to Acceleration

We won two major industry awards in 2025 – a Global Connectivity Award for Best African Connectivity Provider, and Mplify’s SD-WAN Service Provider of the Year - Middle East & Africa. These awards aren’t vanity metrics. They recognise the calibre of our people and the quality of our execution. They validate that CMC has a world-class foundation on which we can build new solutions and serve a growing customer base.

2025 was not only a year of validation. It was a year of acceleration. Africa’s digital economy is entering a new phase of growth. Data centre investments once talked about in theory are now becoming reality. Hyperscalers are scaling AI infrastructure across the region. Enterprises are expanding footprints and demanding consistent, secure and high-performance digital infrastructure. The market is evolving quickly, and it requires a partner that can match that speed.

This is why CMC is expanding our scope from being an aggregator to becoming a digital infrastructure partner. The opportunity ahead is not incremental. It is transformational.

Our Vision for 2026

2026 is about sharpening our strategy, focusing our execution and repositioning CMC for the next decade of growth. It is about building on our strengths, our people, our network and our operational excellence, while evolving into the type of partner our customers need.

To do this, our vision is built around four pillars:

1. Transform from an aggregator to a solutions provider

In 2026, we will move decisively beyond a traditional aggregator model. We will sit with customers earlier in their decision-making, understand the challenges they face, and help them design the right solutions. Rather than simply responding to RFPs, we want to co-create them. Our goal is to help customers gain competitive advantages through better access, faster adoption, and more affordable, market-aligned solutions. The “three A’s” that guide our thinking are Access, Adoption and Affordability.

2. Build deep centres of excellence within our organisation

CMC is known for its operational strength, but we now must build deeper specialisation. In 2026, we are creating domain-specific pools of expertise: SD-WAN, digital infrastructure, data centre operations, subsea cable management and more. We are moving from generalists to specialists, enabling us to deliver solutions with greater precision, skill and confidence. This includes reskilling and upskilling our teams, expanding capabilities in optical transmission, DWDM, OT, and specialised infrastructure roles.

3. Invest in strategic infrastructure that strengthens our regional leadership

We will begin laying the foundations of CMC’s own infrastructure footprint, even modestly at first. Whether it is lighting leased fibre between metro areas or managing strategic subsea cable capacities, we intend to develop a tangible network presence that enhances our control, customer experience and long-term competitiveness. New digital infrastructure offerings will be central to this strategy. The future of CMC includes owning and operating more of the infrastructure that underpins our services.

4. Build stronger, deeper strategic partnerships

We want to evolve from transactional supplier interactions to long-term, proactive partnerships. That includes working more closely with center3, leveraging its subsea cable investments and data centre portfolio, and creating a unified ecosystem that delivers value across Africa and the Middle East. It also includes technology partners, hyperscalers, data centre operators and new entrants such as LEO satellite providers. The goal is to co-develop solutions, integrate technologies intelligently, and become the trusted advisor for networking strategy that our customers turn to first.

Meeting these objectives will not be easy. Change is a challenge. It will be a challenge for the entire team, from the leadership and across segments. We have some of the most talented and clever people in the industry and we are ready to work hard to deliver for our customers, our partners, and each other. There will be barriers but we’re ready to take CMC to another level.

Our Cultural Shift: Better. Faster. Smarter.

Culture drives performance, and 2026 is the year we embed the mindset that will carry CMC forward: Better, Faster, Smarter.

This is not a slogan. It is a behavioural shift.

• Better: We think deeply, design carefully and deliver with excellence.
• Faster: We remove slow processes, accelerate responses and deploy solutions more quickly.
• Smarter: We work intelligently and collaborate with customers to co-create solutions that deliver direct business outcomes.

This cultural evolution is essential as we elevate our role and ambition in the market.

2026 and Beyond

I am energised by what 2026 holds for CMC. We will win new logos. We will realise new synergies with center3. We will deepen our capabilities and launch new solutions aligned with market shifts in cloud, AI, digital infrastructure and LEO-terrestrial integration.

Importantly, we will expand our role in Africa as part of the communities we serve while having meaningful social impact. We want to support schools, enable connectivity for communities, and work with global organisations to drive sustainable digital inclusion across Africa. We’re an African business and we want to support the next generation of African talent.

CMC is at a pivotal moment. We have the people, the reach, and the drive to shape the digital future of the region. In 2026, we will not only meet the demands of the market, we will help define them.

Better. Faster. Smarter. That is the CMC we are building.