The Nigerian government has halted ongoing process by Africa’s largest carrier, MTN Group, to acquire the largest tower company on the continent, HIS Towers.
The Minister of Communications, Innovation & Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, in a statement, stopped the process.
The TowerCo has a portfolio of over 30,000 towers across several African markets, including Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Zambia, Rwanda, and South Africa. Founded in Nigeria in 2001, IHS has grown to become a dominant independent owner and operator of shared communications infrastructure on the continent.
MTN Group had earlier announced that it had agreed to acquire IHS Holding Limited in a transaction valued at $6.2 billion, a deal that would have seen the tower company delisted and become a wholly owned subsidiary of the mobile network operator.
As of late 2025 and early 2026, MTN Nigeria maintained its position as the largest mobile network operator in Nigeria, with active subscriptions rising to approximately 93.1 million by December 2025. According to data released by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), MTN holds over 50 per cent of the total mobile market share in which other operators such as Airtel Nigeria, Globacom and T2 operate.
In the statement, Tijani said he “notes recent developments in the Nigerian telecommunications sector regarding the acquisition of HIS Towers by MTN Group”.
According to him, over the past two years, under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu, the administration has taken deliberate steps to stabilise and strengthen the telecommunications sector as a critical pillar of Nigeria’s digital economy.
“Through policy clarity, regulatory support, and sustained engagement with industry stakeholders, government has prioritised long-term sustainability, investor confidence, and improved sector performance.
“Recent financial results announced by key operators indicate a return to improved profitability, increased investment in telecoms infrastructure and operational stability across the sector. This progress reflects the resilience of the industry and the impact of reforms aimed at ensuring its viability and capacity to continue delivering meaningful connectivity to Nigerians,” he noted.
According to him, given the strategic importance of telecommunications infrastructure to national security, economic growth, financial services, innovation, and social inclusion, and to ensure strategic actions by private sector operators are in line with the market development agenda under the Renewed Hope policy directions of the President, “the Ministry will undertake a thorough assessment of this development in collaboration with the relevant regulatory authorities to review its impact on the sector.
“Our objective is clear: to ensure that any market consolidation or structural changes protect consumers, safeguard investments, and preserve the long-term sustainability of the sector.
“We remain committed to maintaining a stable, transparent, and forward-looking policy environment that keeps Nigeria’s telecommunications industry on a strong and sustainable path, in alignment with our broader vision of building a robust digital economy”.
