konknaijaboy | On 27, Feb 2015

Etisalat Nigeria emerged winner of the African Telecoms Deal of the Year 2014 at the IJ Global Europe & Africa(Euromoney/ Project Finance Magazine) Awards which took place on Thursday 19 February 2015 in London.

The winning deal - which saw Etisalat successfully sell and lease back passive elements of its network infrastructure to IHS Towers – was the first by a major GSM operator in Nigeria and was first announced in August 2014 as part of Etisalat Nigeria’s broader strategy to drive improvements in network quality and accelerate roll-out of 2G and 3G coverage and new services to customers.

Responding after receiving the award at the presentation dinner, Head-Strategy Seun Oshitade expressed appreciation to the organizers of the IJ Global Awards and partners to the deal. He said: ‘This award recognizes our continuous strategy to increase the coverage and capacity of our network which is already rated number 1 for quality of service by the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC). Our partnership with IHS for the transaction which is being celebrated at this award ceremony is designed to promote network sharing, ensure higher quality, sustain reliable mobile services, lower overall costs and also promote a cleaner environment through reduced diesel usage and increased investments in alternative energy solutions.’

Other key stakeholders who contributed to the success of the deal include financial advisers Stanbic Bank and legal advisers Norton Rose. Representatives from these organizations were at the event to join Etisalat in receiving the award at the ceremony held at the Natural History Museum-Cromwell Road, London.

Over 500 market professionals attended the ceremony, which recognizes excellence, achievement and innovation in energy and infrastructure finance.

The ‘African Telecoms Deal of the Year’ award complements other titles that Etisalat Nigeria has won in just 6 years of operations in Nigeria, including: ‘African Telecoms Deal of the Year 2011′, ‘Best Telecom Customer Service’, ‘Most Innovative Corporate Social Responsibility Company’, ‘Telecom Brand of the Year 2014′ amongst others.