IHS Towers

IHS is a leading provider of communications infrastructure for mobile phone operators. Over the last 22 years, the group has successfully developed along the entire telecom tower value chain, from construction and maintenance to leasing. It provides market-leading services to its customers, who are leading telecom operators, including Airtel, MTN, Orange, TIM and 9mobile.

With its investment in IHS, Wendel made its first direct investment in Africa, demonstrating at this time its intention to gain exposure to and participate in the continent’s rapid growth. Wendel chose a company with an increasing number of projects, high-quality management and an outlook of balanced and profitable growth in several important and promising African nations, especially in Nigeria which represents 68% of group sales as of Q422.

To support IHS pan-African growth strategy, Wendel invested $826 million between 2013 and 2016, participating in five capital increases alongside IHS’s shareholders, who are primarily major financial institutions active in economic development and top-tier private equity companies. In 2019, Wendel exercised warrants in IHS that were issued in 2012 for a net value of $4 million.

IHS’ shareholders before its IPO include MTN, Emerging Capital Partners, International Finance Corporation (IFC), part of the World Bank Group, FMO, the Netherlands development bank, Investec Asset Management (now Ninety-One), Goldman Sachs, IFC Global Infrastructure Fund, African Infrastructure Investment Managers (Old Mutual and previously Macquarie), and the Singapore and Korean sovereign wealth funds GIC and KIC.

In addition, Wendel has brought together five US and European family investors (incl. Peugeot Invest, Sofina, funds managed by Edmond de Rothschild now Elyan Partners, and Luxempart) to invest alongside it in IHS. In addition to the $830 million it has invested, Wendel has thus far raised an additional $220 million through an IHS co-investment vehicle that Wendel manages and whose voting rights Wendel exercises. This co-investment vehicle was terminated shortly after the IHS IPO and the shares were distributed to the co-investors in 2022.