IHS Towers has completed the sale of its Latin American tower operations to Macquarie Asset Management, marking a full exit from the region as the company reshapes its portfolio ahead of MTN Group's planned acquisition.

IHS Mauritius BR Limited, a subsidiary of IHS Holding Limited, finalized the transaction on August 7, 2026, following an agreement first announced in February. The deal encompasses IHS Brazil and IHS Colombia, covering approximately 9,000 tower sites.

The sale represents IHS Towers' complete withdrawal from Latin America. The company will now concentrate on its African operations, where it maintains more than 28,000 towers across Nigeria, South Africa, Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroon, and Zambia. IHS, which is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, was founded in Nigeria and built its position as one of Africa's largest independent tower operators through years of expansion across the continent.

The divestment aligns with MTN's strategy to acquire the remaining shares in IHS and take the tower operator private. In a statement directed at shareholders, note-holders, and the media — including TechCabal — MTN said the completion of the sale "aligns with the intention by MTN to acquire only IHS's African assets as part of the Transaction."

MTN, headquartered in South Africa, is one of the largest mobile network operators across Africa and the Middle East, serving over 280 million subscribers. The company has historically been a major tenant on IHS towers across multiple markets, making the proposed acquisition a move to bring critical infrastructure ownership in-house. MTN initially announced the proposed acquisition in February. On August 5, 2026, IHS shareholders approved the merger at an extraordinary general meeting, fulfilling one of the conditions necessary for the transaction to advance.

With the Latin American assets now divested, the proposed acquisition centers exclusively on IHS's African tower portfolio, streamlining the deal structure and bringing it in line with MTN's strategic priorities. The transaction unfolds against a backdrop of sustained consolidation in Africa's telecom infrastructure sector, where operators like Helios Towers and American Tower Corporation compete alongside IHS to serve growing demand for mobile connectivity across the continent.

JP Morgan served as financial advisor to IHS on the transaction. Macquarie Asset Management, the acquiring party, manages approximately $477 billion in assets globally.

For IHS, the divestment signals a significant strategic contraction as the company narrows its focus to emerging African markets. For MTN, the removal of IHS's Latin American operations from the acquisition scope sharpens its concentration on African digital infrastructure.

The broader acquisition remains pending. MTN indicated that the deal continues to be subject to regulatory approvals that are still being processed. Following IHS shareholder approval on August 5, 2026, the transaction now awaits these regulatory clearances, which will require review across multiple African jurisdictions where IHS operates.

Once completed, the acquisition would grant MTN full ownership of IHS's remaining African tower business, reinforcing its control over one of the continent's largest independent telecommunications infrastructure portfolios.