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 announced a strategic partnership with the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (“NSCDC”) to enhance the protection of critical telecommunications infrastructure across Nigeria.
IHS Nigeria, which owns and operates over 16,000 towers in Nigeria and has deployed over 15,000km of fiber, and the NSCDC, the security agency assigned with responsibility for the protection of critical national information infrastructure, recently signed a memorandum of understanding (“MoU”) to formalize their collaboration. This collaboration seeks to tackle the challenges of theft and sabotage affecting tower sites, fiber optic cables and other telecommunications infrastructure, and highlights their shared commitment to ensuring the security of Nigeria’s telecommunications industry.
Under the terms of the MoU, IHS Nigeria and the NSCDC intend to work together to develop and implement strategies aimed at safeguarding IHS Nigeria’s assets and other telecommunications infrastructure, which are protected by law and vital for the growth of Nigeria’s digital economy. The NSCDC will aim to support IHS Nigeria in the areas of site surveillance, emergency responses and incident reporting. This includes assisting in all matters related to tower decommissioning as well as investigating, apprehending and prosecuting alleged site violators.
Mohamad Darwish, CEO, IHS Nigeria, commented, “At IHS we are key enablers of connectivity, and this partnership with the NSCDC is for us an important step towards enhancing the resilience, reliability and availability of telecommunications connectivity in Nigeria. By working closely with the NSCDC, which enforces the law that designates telecommunication towers as critical national information infrastructure, we aim to create a safer and more secure environment for our operations, including our infrastructure, and more importantly, ensure better quality of service for all users in Nigeria.”
Ahmad Abubakar, Commandant General, NSCDC, commented, “The Corp has a mandate to safeguard critical national infrastructure, and IHS Nigeria’s extensive telecommunications assets and network falls squarely within this mandate. We consider IHS to be a strategic partner whose infrastructure is essential to the operations of many organizations across the country. We aim to provide a heightened level of operational excellence and support, focused on securing telecommunications infrastructure more effectively than ever before. Our doors remain open for collaboration, and we look forward to working even more closely with IHS Nigeria”.
