IHS Nigeria, part of the IHS Holding Limited (NYSE: IHS) (“IHS Towers”) group, one of the largest independent owners, operators, and developers of shared communications infrastructure in the world by tower count, has today published its 2023 and 2024 Impact Report.
The report highlights IHS Nigeria’s continued commitment to helping foster a more sustainable and prosperous future for Nigeria, and covers sustainability and community impact activities from January 1, 2023, to December 31, 2024.
During this period, IHS Nigeria continued to contribute towards the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals and execute IHS Towers’ four-pillar sustainability strategy – focusing on ethics and governance, environment and climate change, education and economic growth, and our people and communities, which IHS Nigeria seeks to align with the Renewed Hope Agenda of the Nigerian Government.
Report Highlights
Details of the activity published in this report under IHS Towers’ four sustainability pillars include:
Education and economic growth
- Supported the construction and operation of the Ilorin Innovation Hub, expected to be the largest innovation centre in Nigeria, and other hubs in Ogbomosho (Oyo) and Alimosho (Lagos)
- Partnered with the Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy on the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) initiative to help train more than 100,000 Nigerians in digital skills
- Welcomed 10 Nigerian educators to the 12-month Limitless Global Educator Program, in partnership with the Limitless Space Institute, and helped facilitate a visit to the NASA Space Center
- Partnered with UNICEF Nigeria to support 956 schools across the country with school connectivity; 421 of which were successfully connected to the internet, enabling them to access the Nigerian Learning Passport under the UNICEF GenU initiative
Environment and climate change
- Planted and nurtured 4,000 trees across the country
- Installed 144 solar streetlights in communities across eight states, benefiting approximately 23,990 residents by helping improve security
- Fitted 6,747 tower sites with hybrid power solutions to reduce dependency on diesel
- Supported over 700 students with climate and eco-friendly education tools
Our People and Communities
- Constructed nine medical oxygen plants in Bauchi, Ogun, Cross River, Kano, Yobe, Oyo, Kaduna, Ebonyi, and Rivers states to help strengthen lifesaving oxygen supply in hospitals, benefiting up to approximately 90,000 patients so far, according to UNICEF estimates
- Constructed four solar powered boreholes in Borno State to provide clean water to over 20,000 beneficiaries
- Supported 201 hydrocele surgeries and helped deliver treatment for neglected tropical diseases to over 1,000,000 people in partnership with the END Fund
- Partnered with the Nigeria Solidarity Support Fund in Cross River State to vaccinate over 10,000 children
Ethics and governance
- IHS Nigeria continues to align with the guidelines of ISO 26000 on social responsibility
- Upskilled 238 suppliers and members of the IHS Procurement and Supply Chain team on sustainable supply chain management
- Supported 11 research publications through the Telecommunications and Technology Sustainability Working Group
- Awarded six start-ups with seed grants through the Sustainable Solution Africa Program
Mohamad Darwish, CEO, IHS Nigeria, commented, “As a business, our focus is not only on providing the connectivity that powers this economy, but also on making a lasting impact in the communities we serve. From a mother who is supported through childbirth with medical oxygen, to a child who writes his first line of code through our digital literacy initiatives, to a father who now worries less about health expenses, to educators who benefit from an unique opportunity to visit the NASA Space Center, these transformational stories provide us with fulfilment as a business and present a picture of progress. There is no better purpose than improving the wellbeing of our fellow citizens and helping encourage hope in the prospects of our country.”
Dapo Otunla, Chief Corporate Services Officer, IHS Nigeria, commented, “We believe in the power of the community and in empowering our people to help them unlock their full potential. Our interventions cut across the six geopolitical regions in Nigeria, as we seek to help pave the way for socioeconomic development and ensure that all Nigerians, regardless of their location, benefit from a better quality of life.”
