IHS Towers lays off 100 employees as devaluation in Nigeria erodes profits

IHS Towers ($IHS), the world’s fourth-largest independent tower company, has laid off over 100 employees as currency devaluation in Nigeria, its biggest market, squeezes its profits. One person with direct knowledge of the business told TechCabal that the layoffs, which cut across several departments, mostly affected senior employees and the network surveillance team.

Most of the affected senior employees have spent a decade at IHS Towers and received “significant” severance packages, the same person said. “[The company said] it was not because of underperformance but because of the economy,” they added. 

IHS Towers did not immediately respond to requests for comments.

Since 2022, IHS Towers has faced pressure from investors over its poor financial performance. The company lost $409 million in the fourth quarter of 2023 after a currency devaluation in Nigeria shrunk revenues and caused FX losses from USD loans.

The company, which currently employs 1,600 people, reported a $1.9 billion loss in 2023, a 304% increase from the previous year’s losses. Its market capitalisation is $1.3 billion, a $6 billion decline since 2021.

While its share price has slightly rebounded in August to $3.56 after trading at $2.98 in July, it is still a far cry from the highs of 2021, when it sold for $21.

IHS Towers operates over 40,000 towers in Africa, roughly 25% of the continent’s entire tower infrastructure, which it leases to telcos like MTN and Airtel. This service is crucial for Africa’s digital economy plans, as towers provide the backbone for internet connectivity. 

However, rising fuel prices, maintenance costs, inflation, and FX volatility in Nigeria—which accounts for over half of IHS’s sales and revenue—have threatened the business. 

In the first quarter of 2024, the business spent $88.8 million on power, its largest operating cost.

“The company used more than $1.5 billion in cash last year for investing activities, but the line items on the company’s published statement of cash flows for such investing activities are not explained in any meaningful way,” a shareholder said in a June 2023 letter. 

Gimba Mohammed, the director of government and external relations at IHS Towers, said at a conference in August that it cost the business more than ₦14 billion to fix fibre cuts between 2022 and 2023.