Motswana Boss Who Thrives In Nigeria
Monkagedi Gaothobogwe | Monday August 11, 2014 10:55
He is not mentioning all these dangers with melancholy or fear written on his face though. Martin, as he is affectionately known among his peers, is quick to state that despite all the dangers, investors are tripping over each other for a piece of the Nigerian market, rated the biggest economy in Africa.
“Certainly one cannot be ignorant of what is happening around them but the truth is so far, we have been fortunate to be based in a safer part of Nigeria. I do not think about danger all the time. Sometimes I learn about kidnappings or bombings in Nigeria from my relatives back in Botswana when they call and ask if the children are ok,” he said.
The Zwenshambe man is proud that he is working in the land of some of the most educated, talented and most hard-working people in Africa.
“I am thankful for the opportunity. I put in a lot of hard work and deserve it. My employers gave me a shot at a bigger pan African role after seeing the work I did back home in Botswana where I was sales and marketing manager at Multichoice Botswana. I was fortunate to work under a manager who allowed me to express myself and mentored me well, always encouraging me to push the envelope and innovate. I thank Billy Sekgororoane for believing in me,” he said. He added that there are many other Batswana who through hard work have managed to settle elsewhere in the world and continue to set the pace and inspire daily. He mentioned DJ Fresh in South Africa and Kaone Kario, whose image is decorating Times Square in New York and Joseph Seeletso, a celebrity chef in Poland.
In Lagos, Mabutho is tasked with overseeing the growth of Dstv and GOtv in a market he rates as the most competitive and yet progressive in Africa. He is the first to admit that in Nigeria danger, is lurking everywhere. “It is a high risk country, much higher than South Africa, where I worked for 10 years, but investors are tripping over to come to Nigeria. Many people ask me ‘o batla eng ko Nigeria?’ It is hard to paint that picture with words because the image in many people’s minds is that of an over crowded filthy place full of crooks. There is an amazing side that’s driven by the youth’s energy to change things and give Nigeria a better name. People are hardworking there. At the moment we have this Ebola outbreak. It scares me a great deal and hopefully it will be contained like in past,” he said.
In fact the man famously known as Sounds among his legion of friends said his employers have put safety measures in place for him and his family. He has relocated his wife, three daughters and son to Lagos. “Of all my blessings I cherish my family the most. It is therefore very important that we take all possible measures to ensure that they are safe. The first time I went to Nigeria was in 2003, and from that first visit, I never wanted to go back, it was unpleasant,” he stated. That was hardly a year after he was offered a job at MNET headquarters in South Africa, which saw him quit his sales and marketing managers post in Gaborone. Before long, he was posted to Nigeria.
He was tasked with a special project, to acquire Nigerian movies and music content in preparation for the launch of Africa Magic channels on DSTV. “I found myself back there; signing deals with suppliers of music and movies; we had a huge continental launch of Africa Magic and it marked the start of my career in TV; then there was the Channel O responsibility. We had to Africanise the channel (the channel was very South African and had to fall in line with the overall expansion strategy). Nigeria is rich in culture and it was quite an experience getting the music on air and showcasing the urban youth culture. The thing with Naija is that its either you fall stupidly in love with it or you hate it absolutely. It’s hard to be indifferent,” he explained.
He said most of the big names today were only starting when he went to Nigeria. He said he got sucked in and just loves the place. “From then onwards since 2003-2013, I was in Nigeria at least every other month and later I was there at least one week each month. That is how I built my networks with the film and music industry there; when I was asked to relocate to Nigeria in 2013, it was not a hard decision as I had already fallen in love with the place and felt comfortable enough to convince my wife. In May last year, we agreed to go to Lagos,” he said.
Mabutho looks on with pride when he switches on Dstv and counts several Africa Magic channels. They have not just grown in numbers on the Dstv menu; Nigerian movies and music are a hit everwhere. “When we first started this project, my friends used to tease me about the Nigerian music and movies’ poor quality, but not any more”.
Mabutho has not only made a mark as the marketing guru behind the success of Africa Magic, he has been instrumental in launching Dstv mobile across Africa.
“I have been to more than 14 countries, negotiating with mobile networks to get them to sell video content. My view is that we moved way too ahead of mobile operators on this – most still can’t handle traffic from voice services so video is clearly not on their radar,” he explained. He said he oversees the marketing of GOtv, a separate channel operated by Multichoice.
“GOtv is not in Botswana right now but it is in over 10 countries in Africa, including Nigeria. It is a lead product for digital migration. Switching to digital migration has enabled Multichoice to compress 40 channels on one frequency, which has made international channels including favourites like SuperSport and CNN much cheaper than ever before,” he said.
For GOtv, subscribers do not have to buy satellite dishes. They spend about P60 per month to view channels. “GOtv is doing extremely well. It has enabled us to tap into a completely new market segment that never accessed Dstv before. It has been in the fore front of our growth,” Mabutho said.
“It is a privilege for me to be heading the growth expansion initiatives for Multichoice Africa in Nigeria, the biggest market in Africa outside South Africa. Hopefully one day, I will be back home to share my experience from all the countries I have worked in,” he added.