NCC Grants MTN Conditional Approval for IHS Tower Acquisition
Nigeria's NCC has granted MTN conditional approval-in-principle for its acquisition of IHS Nigeria, adding the telecoms regulator's clearance to the FCCPC approval reported on August 25. Both regulators have imposed a mandatory 30 percent local selldown condition, cementing the indigenisation requirement on Africa's largest telecom infrastructure transaction.
MTN-IHS: the 30% condition just became permanent policy
Two regulators, the same condition. That's not coincidence — that's Nigeria telling the market this rule is settled.
The 30% local selldown isn't a negotiating chip MTN can quietly revisit after approval. With both the NCC and the FCCPC locking it in independently, it's now the floor for any foreign entity that wants to hold critical Nigerian infrastructure.
Every sovereign wealth fund, every infrastructure investor eyeing a Nigerian tower or fibre asset, just had their deal terms written for them in advance.
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- Nigeria’s NCC grants MTN conditional approval for IHS deal · techcabal.com · T1