richard Walwasa
Richard Walwasa is a seasoned Telecommunications and Technology Executive with over two decades of experience leading digital infrastructure, operations excellence, and transformational projects across Africa. His career spans multiple countries including Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Malawi, Zimbabwe, and Mauritius, with a focus on ICT operations, broadband infrastructure, and strategic service delivery.
Currently serving as Group Manager, Operations Excellence at TowerCo of Africa, Richard drives process optimization, Lean Six Sigma methodologies, and energy efficiency across multiple African markets. He also served as Interim CEO for TowerCo Uganda, where he led the organization through a critical transition, securing major infrastructure projects, maintaining high employee satisfaction, and enhancing regulatory and client relationships.
Previously, Richard held key roles such as:
- Network Operations Program Manager at Google Africa, where he led operational process improvement for the Africa Access initiative.
- Regional Networks Operations Manager at CSquared, overseeing metro fiber infrastructure in Uganda, Liberia, and Ghana.
- Operations Head at Helios Towers Tanzania and Project Manager at Nokia Siemens Uganda, where he led infrastructure deployment and O&M across major markets.
As an independent consultant for GLG Research, United Wireless, IHS Towers, and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Richard has advised on infrastructure resilience, post-COVID digital recovery (Connect2Recover), and network operations strategy.
A strong advocate of data-driven operations, Richard integrates machine learning and predictive analytics into network performance, customer behavior analysis, and vendor management. His technical strengths cover optical fiber networks, passive infrastructure, NOC management, DWDM, SDH, FTTx, and more.
He holds an MBA from the University of Liverpool, a BSc in Physics from Makerere University, and has undertaken executive studies at Wits Business School and the Uganda Management Institute. He is also a certified Six Sigma Black Belt and holds multiple credentials in project management and infrastructure.
Richard is multilingual (English, Kiswahili) and continues to champion infrastructure innovation and digital transformation across the continent.
