Case studies

Enabling school connectivity 

In December 2021, we finalized our largest sustainability program to date and first ever Group-level partnership. Over three years, we will be supporting the worldwide Giga initiative; a partnership between UNICEF’s Office of Innovation and ITU’s Telecommunications Development Bureau which aims to connect schools worldwide to the internet. Our partnership will help strengthen Giga’s work to map schools and their connectivity levels on an open-source map, using machine learning and satellite imagery.

Ethical Dilemmas Project

Committed to applying the highest ethical standards, our local Compliance teams run engaging and informative programs to ensure all employees understand their responsibilities. 

In Latin America, our Ethical Dilemmas Project encompasses monthly debates designed to help disseminate company policies, raise awareness of our Code of Conduct and Business Principles, and provide opportunities for colleagues to discuss appropriate responses to hypothetical, ethical dilemmas. In 2023, more than 300 employees from our Latam operations participated in sessions focused on conflicts of interest, bullying, gifts and entertainment, personnel management and the correct use of technology devices.  

New Frontiers in STEM Education 

Engineering excellence is our lifeblood, and we constantly seek new ways to increase access to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education. In 2023, we announced an exciting partnership with the non-profit organization, Limitless Space Institute to broaden access to space education. Through this collaboration, 20 STEM teachers from Brazil and Nigeria were selected to join the 12-month Limitless Global Educator Program and access a carefully curated space education curriculum delivered by LSI experts.

Facilitating Digital Learning 

Digital inclusion is vital to long-term economic development, and we seek to enhance education by improving access to technology and connectivity. In 2023, IHS Cameroon commissioned two ICT centers at the Government Bilingual High School (GBHS) Sodiko in Bonaberi, Douala, serving more than 2,200 pupils. Through this project, IHS Cameroon refurbished the school’s existing ICT center and built a new center equipped with 30 computers, video conferencing facilities and internet connectivity. 

Amazon Reforestation 

In 2023, we continued our ongoing efforts to support reforestation programs in the Amazon region. In partnership with Idesam, a non-governmental organization which works to protect the Amazon rainforest and its populations, IHS Brazil completed the planting of over 17,000 seedlings of native and agricultural species in the municipality of Apuí. The seedlings, which include coffee trees, cover nine hectares of land and is equivalent in area to the approximate footprint of IHS Brazil’s 2021 tower construction program. The estimated carbon capture potential from the reforested area is 2,286 tCO₂. 

Image Credit: Idesam

Recycling Waste Materials 

We seek to manage our waste management in the most responsible way. The waste, including hazardous substances, arising from IHS site activities and facilities is disposed of in a sustainable and appropriate manner. In 2023, in Côte d’Ivoire, we recycled 25,640 kilograms of iron from dismantled towers and built a plastic recycling station with the capacity to process approximately 144 tonnes of waste annually. 

Tackling Neglected Tropical Diseases 

According to the World Health Organization, over 165 million Nigerians need treatment for one or more neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), a group of debilitating diseases that disproportionately affect vulnerable communities. IHS Nigeria is a long-term partner of the END Fund, a philanthropic fund solely dedicated to ending NTDs and providing life-changing treatments to those affected by onchocerciasis, lymphatic filariasis, schistosomiasis and soil transmitted helminthiasis. In 2023, IHS Nigeria helped the END Fund deliver treatment to 1,020,153 people and train 492 health workers.

Frontline Workers Initiative 

The Frontline Workers Initiative is a philanthropic program designed to recognize and reward the outstanding contribution made by our frontline workers. By providing education opportunities to the children of our frontline workers, in the form of financial scholarships to top-tier universities, the program is working to help address socio-economic and education inequalities.

In 2023, the program had an increased focus on STEM subjects and female applicants, as we remain committed to helping increase gender equality and expanding educational opportunities for young women in these markets.

Launched in 2021, scholarships have been granted to more than 50 students from Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Rwanda and Zambia.