IHS Towers
IHS Towers (IHS Holding Limited) is one of the largest independent owners, operators and developers of shared communications infrastructure in the world, with approximately 37,000 towers across Africa and Latin America. Founded by Sam Darwish in Lagos, Nigeria in 2001, the company provides tower colocation, build-to-suit, managed services and fiber connectivity to mobile network operators in Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia, Brazil and Colombia. IHS is the fifth-largest independent multinational tower company in the world and listed on the NYSE under ticker IHS in October 2021, in what was at the time the largest U.S. listing by a company with African heritage. In February 2026, IHS announced a proposed $6.2 billion sale to MTN Group, which would take the company private.
Public Company
IHS Towers is publicly traded
IPO'd on October 14, 2021
This company is no longer available on our private secondary market. Shares can be traded publicly under IHS.
Overview
Company data and valuation marks are estimates and may be incomplete, stale, erroneous, or revised.
Founded
2001
Employees
1,001–5,000
Total Funding
$1.2B
4 rounds
Last Private Valuation
$8B
Funding
Total raised $1.2B across 4 rounds
Funding data and valuation marks are estimates and may be incomplete, stale, erroneous, or revised.
Last updated 06-25-2026
Latest Round
Type
Pre-IPO MTN preferred share conversion
Date
Amount
Not disclosed
Valuation
$8B
Lead Investors
| Date | Round | Amount Raised | Valuation | Lead Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-IPO MTN preferred share conversion | Not disclosed | $8B | MTN Group | |
| Wendel + IHS expansion | $826M | — | Wendel | |
| 2011 | Goldman Sachs-led | Not disclosed | — | Goldman Sachs |
Prominent Investors
Leadership
Sam Darwish
Chairman & Group Chief Executive Officer
Mohamad Darwish
Executive Vice President, IHS Towers & CEO, IHS Nigeria
Steve Howden
Chief Financial Officer
William Saad
Chief Operating Officer
Competitors
Competitor list is illustrative and may be incomplete, stale, or erroneous.
American Tower
NYSE-listed (AMT) global tower REIT with ~223,000 towers worldwide, including significant African (Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, etc.) and Latin American operations that directly overlap IHS's footprint.
Helios Towers
London-listed (LSE: HTWS) pan-African independent tower company operating across multiple African markets; IHS's closest direct peer by geography and business model.
SBA Communications
Nasdaq-listed (SBAC) U.S. tower REIT operating ~39,500 communication sites globally, including Latin American operations that compete with IHS in Brazil and Colombia.
Pan African Towers
Private Nigeria-based independent tower company building and managing shared telecom infrastructure across West and Central Africa; smaller-scale regional competitor to IHS.
Cellnex Telecom
Madrid-listed (BME: CLNX) European wireless infrastructure operator with ~100,000+ tower sites; competes with IHS for institutional tower-infrastructure capital and select international markets.
Indus Towers
NSE-listed Indian tower company (~220,000 towers) - a comparable emerging-markets independent tower platform used as a benchmark for IHS's scale and economics.
IHS Towers Investment FAQ
IHS Towers FAQ
Yes, IHS Towers is publicly traded under the ticker symbol IHS on the NYSE. The company went public in October 14, 2021.
IHS Towers trades under the ticker symbol IHS on the NYSE. It began trading in October 14, 2021.
IHS Towers (IHS on the NYSE) shares can be purchased through any standard brokerage account — including Fidelity, Charles Schwab, TD Ameritrade, and online platforms like Robinhood or E*TRADE. Search for the ticker IHS to place an order.
IHS Towers went public in October 14, 2021 via ipo, with an offering valuation of approximately $8B. IHS Holding Limited listed on the NYSE under ticker symbol 'IHS' on October 14, 2021, pricing 18,000,000 ordinary shares at $21.00 per share (the bottom of the $21-$24 range) and valuing the company at approximately $7 billion. It was the largest U.S. IPO by a company with African heritage at the time. Shares fell on debut and the stock has traded well below the IPO price for much of its public life. On February 17, 2026, IHS announced a proposed sale to MTN Group at $8.50/share in cash (~$6.2B enterprise value); the transaction is subject to shareholder and regulatory approvals plus completion of pending divestitures of the Latin American tower and fiber operations, with expected closing by end of 2026, after which IHS would be delisted from the NYSE.
IHS Towers raised $1.2B across 4 disclosed funding rounds prior to its public listing.
IHS Towers is headquartered in London, United Kingdom.
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