IHS Nigeria Partners NSCDC to Enhance Security of Telecoms Infrastructure

Emma Okonji

IHS Nigeria, part of the IHS Holding Limited group, one of the largest independent owners, operators, and developers of shared communications infrastructure in the world by tower count, has entered into 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 formalise their collaboration, which seeks to tackle the challenges of theft and sabotage affecting tower sites, fiber optic cables and other telecommunications infrastructure.

During the MoU signing, both parties highlighted their shared commitment to ensuring the security of Nigeria’s telecommunications industry.

Speaking about the collaboration, CEO, IHS Nigeria, Mohamad Darwish, said: “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.”