JOHANNESBURG, Aug 6 – MTN Group has moved closer to taking full ownership of IHS Holding Limited after the company’s shareholders approved the proposed acquisition.
The decision was made at an Extraordinary General Meeting on August 4, 2026, where shareholders voted in support of the deal with the required two-thirds majority.
Under the agreement, a temporary company created by MTN for the transaction will merge with IHS and then be dissolved. IHS will remain in operation and become a wholly owned subsidiary of MTN.
Once the transaction is completed, IHS will be delisted from the New York Stock Exchange and will no longer be a publicly traded company. The company will keep its legal identity, along with its existing contracts, licences and permits, unless MTN decides to reorganise or rebrand the business in the future.
MTN first announced plans to buy the remaining IHS shares in February 2026. MTN Group President and Chief Executive Ralph Mupita said the shareholder approval is an important step toward completing the deal.
He said telecommunications towers remain a key part of the company’s Ambition 2030 strategy. According to Mupita, full ownership of IHS will strengthen MTN’s business and financial position as demand for digital infrastructure and artificial intelligence continues to grow across Africa.
The acquisition still requires regulatory approvals before it can be completed.
Shareholders also voted to remove the need for a second resolution that would have allowed the meeting to be postponed if the merger had not received enough support.
