MTN wins shareholder approval to take IHS private

MTN Group has secured shareholder approval to acquire the remaining shares in IHS Holding Limited, clearing a major hurdle in its plan to take full ownership of the telecommunications tower company.

IHS shareholders approved the transaction at an Extraordinary General Meeting held on August 4, 2026, meeting the required two-thirds majority for the special resolution.

The approval allows MTN to proceed with the merger, under which a Sub-Merger Co – a temporary company established by MTN for the transaction – will merge into IHS and cease to exist. IHS Holding Limited will remain the surviving legal entity and become a wholly-owned subsidiary of MTN.

Once completed, IHS will be delisted from the New York Stock Exchange, ending its status as a publicly traded company. The merger structure itself does not alter  IHS’s legal identity. The company will retain its existing corporate registration, contracts, licences and permits unless MTN subsequently decides to restructure or rebrand the business. MTN announced its agreement to acquire the remaining IHS shares in February 2026, and the shareholder vote represents one of the key conditions required to complete the transaction.

“The approval by IHS shareholders is an important step toward completion of the Transaction,” said Ralph Mupita, MTN Group president and chief executive.

Mupita said telecommunications towers remain central to  MTN’s Ambition 2030 strategy, adding that full ownership of IHS would strengthen the group’s strategic and financial position as demand for digital infrastructure and artificial intelligence continues to grow across Africa. 

The transaction is not yet complete. MTN said it still needs to secure the necessary regulatory approvals, with those processes ongoing.

The vote also made a proposed second resolution unnecessary. That resolution would have allowed the shareholder meeting to be adjourned if the required support for the merger had not been secured. Because shareholders approved the transaction at the meeting, the postponement mechanism was not required.

The completion of the deal will give MTN full ownership of IHS, consolidating its position in the tower infrastructure business as the group expands its focus on digital infrastructure under its broader three-platform strategy.

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