News
IHS Towers Bags Africa Telecom Infrastructure Company of The Year Award
IHS Towers (“IHS”), the largest mobile telecommunications infrastructure provider in Africa, Europe and the Middle East, has won the 2016 Africa Telecom Infrastructure Company of the Year Award at Africa’s Information Technology & Telecom Awards (AITTA).
The Award was received during the West Africa Telecom Summit & Expo 2016 at the Kempinski Hotel in Accra, Ghana on 21 May.
The AITTA seeks to celebrate success, reward key achievements and raise the profile of the key players in the African ICT sector by honouring corporates that continue to promote excellence throughout the continent.
The judges presented IHS with the award due to continued expansion over the last 12 months and the integration of solar technology onto various sites throughout the portfolio to increase reliability and up-time throughout Nigeria, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Rwanda and Zambia.
IHS also has a strong corporate social responsibility programme, which is focused on enabling the growth of its local communities.
The strategy is need-based, tailored to each country’s operations and focuses on four pillars including people – both local communities and employees – education and empowerment, business ethics and environment and green energy.
Akin Naphtal, CEO of InstinctWave, the event organisers, said: “IHS is Africa’s leading tower company and their footprint on the continent is remarkable. The various acquisitions and large green energy investments from the group have cemented their foothold as the leading infrastructure company throughout the emerging markets. We hope this award will further strengthen their resolve to excel and innovate.”
Issam Darwish, Executive Vice Chairman & Group CEO of IHS, said: “The award follows in the wake of one of the strongest years in IHS’s history. With over 23,300 towers in the portfolio across Africa, we’re one of the largest independent tower companies in the world and believe we are a critical enabler to Africa’s continued economic growth. We are delighted to receive this award and for the team to be recognized for its hard work and dedication to delivering the best value for mobile operators in Africa.”
This award seeks to establish a benchmark for outstanding performance in the industry with a focus on celebrating strong leadership, high quality operations and the rollout of innovative technology.
IHS is the largest mobile telecommunications infrastructure provider in Africa, Europe and the Middle East. Founded in 2001, IHS provides services across the full tower value chain – colocation on owned towers, deployment and managed services.
Today IHS owns over 23,300 towers in Nigeria, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Zambia and Rwanda.
EFCC
The African Development Bank Group last week approved an investment of €6.5 million in the Saviu II fund in order to support technology start-ups through their seed phase and first institutional fundraising, mainly in French-speaking Central and West Africa.
The Bank will invest €4.5 million as equity and €2 million as a first-loss hedging tranche on behalf of the European Commission, under the Boost Africa Programme.
This participation of the Bank Group will enable the Saviu II fund to give priority to companies with a strong technological or digital component.
Saviu II, the second investment vehicle of Saviu Partners, plans to invest between €500,000 and €3 million in about 20 technology or technology-oriented business-to-business start-ups in the seed phase or carrying out first institutional fundraising.
The Saviu II venture capital fund aims to make at least 60% of its commitments in the French-speaking countries of West and Central Africa: Côte d ‘Ivoire, Cameroon, Benin, Senegal, Togo, Burkina Faso and Mali.
The fund can also co-invest in promising technology companies in East Africa that have a strong team and business model, and whose strategy includes entering the market in French-speaking West African countries and establishing a strong presence there.
In addition, the fund will devote a dedicated envelope to pre-seed investments, focusing on minority equity investments, usually in co-investment with studios, incubators or other ecosystem partners.
Nigerian Government has signed a $1.3 billion Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) via the Solid Minerals Development Fund (SMDF) to fund an alumina refinery, national geoscience mapping, and a strategic investment vehicle for mining growth.
Special Assistant to the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Segun Tomori, said the refinery will process one million tonnes of bauxite yearly using a modern Bayer process, powered by an on-site gas-fired cogeneration plant.
Minister Dele Alake called it a transformative milestone boosting GDP, aligning with reforms that improve investment climate, regulations, and licensing to attract private capital. He directed agencies to fast-track permits.
The 20-year project at 95% utilization eyes 19 million tonnes total output, $1.2 billion annual GDP addition, $25 billion economic impact, and $8 billion forex earnings, per feasibility studies.
SMDF Executive Secretary Fatima Shinkafi termed it the agency’s biggest funding deal, supporting value-addition policy.
The partnership extends to geoscience mapping for mineral data, de-risking exploration, and a joint vehicle for mining assets.
Permanent Secretary Engr. Farouk Yabo praised the reforms. Shinkafi signed for government; AFC’s Franklin Edochie for the corporation, witnessed by AFC CEO Samaila Zubairu.
Tomori positioned it as Nigeria’s largest private mining investment and FDI magnet.
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