(Bloomberg) -- Safaricom Plc Chairman John Ngumi leaves the wireless carrier less than five months in the role to focus on green energy projects across Africa.

Ngumi, who took up the position on Aug. 1, resigned effective Dec. 22, according to a statement by the Nairobi-based company. A new chair will be elected in coming weeks, it said. 

Ngumi was an “ardent enthusiast” for East Africa’s largest company’s expansion in Ethiopia, the statement said. The company gained entry into Africa’s second-biggest nation by population following the partial privatization of the country’s telecommunications industry in 2021. 

Read more: Safaricom’s Profit Drops Most in 11 Years on Ethiopia Costs

The company also named Adil Khawaja as a director. 

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