The infrastructure giant’s sponsorship of the Social Impact and Sustainability Awards adds a major pan-African telecoms player to an event built on independent scrutiny — not self-nomination.

IHS Towers, one of the world’s largest independent owners and operators of shared communications infrastructure, has signed on as a sponsor of the 2026 Social Impact and Sustainability Awards (SISA), scheduled to hold on November 29, 2026, at Shell Hall, MUSON Centre, Lagos.

The partnership brings one of Africa’s most consequential infrastructure companies into direct association with an awards platform deliberately built to challenge the conventions of corporate recognition.

At SISA, organisations do not nominate themselves, and recognition cannot be purchased. The awards are anchored in an independent assessment framework that evaluates organisations across five core dimensions: Governance & Accountability, Transparency & Disclosure, Environmental Impact, Social Impact & Community Investment, and Stakeholder Engagement.

The methodology is further strengthened by independent project site visitations, allowing documented claims and reported initiatives to be examined against evidence on the ground — a feature that distinguishes SISA from conventional awards and rankings platforms.

“Sponsorship status does not insulate any organisation — including our own partners — from independent evaluation.”

That principle remains central to SISA and to CSR REPORTERS’ broader approach to sustainability accountability.

A partnership grounded in accountability

IHS Towers operates more than 37,000 towers across seven markets in Africa and Latin America and has developed a significant public ESG record over several years.

Its sustainability efforts include a Carbon Reduction Roadmap that has delivered a reduction in Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions intensity since 2021, alongside the increasing deployment of solar and hybrid power solutions across its tower portfolio.

The company has also reported more than $45 million in community investment since 2017, supporting initiatives spanning digital skills development, literacy and STEM education across its operating footprint.

Its recent sustainability disclosures point to continued progress in areas of governance and responsible business, including improvements in anti-bribery compliance and increased supplier training on its Code of Conduct.

For CSR REPORTERS, however, the significance of the partnership goes beyond the scale of the sponsorship.

A company associating itself with SISA is, by definition, associating itself with a platform that intends to measure corporate responsibility rather than simply celebrate it.

That distinction matters.

SISA was created around the conviction that sustainability recognition should be earned through evidence of meaningful action, credible disclosure, measurable impact and stakeholder confidence. Sponsorship does not alter that standard — and it does not determine who receives an award.

A more demanding form of association

For IHS Towers, the sponsorship comes at a time when infrastructure companies operating across emerging markets face increasingly complex expectations: expanding connectivity, supporting digital inclusion and enabling economic activity while simultaneously reducing environmental impact and demonstrating responsible relationships with communities and other stakeholders.

Its decision to support an independent platform focused on these questions therefore represents more than conventional event sponsorship.

It is an association with a process that will continue to examine corporate performance with independence, evidence and scrutiny — including the performance of its own sponsors.

That is the standard CSR REPORTERS has applied since the inception of SISA, and it is the standard the organisation intends to maintain as the awards platform grows.

IHS Towers is not simply putting its name behind the 2026 SISA. It is putting its name alongside a platform where organisations are expected to be measured, not merely seen.

The 2026 Social Impact and Sustainability Awards will take place on November 29, 2026, at Shell Hall, MUSON Centre, Lagos, as part of a wider CSR REPORTERS programme that will also feature the inaugural CSR REPORTERS Sustainability Summit and the unveiling of the maiden edition of the Nigeria CSR Impact Ranking 2026.

The three-part programme will bring together corporate leaders, sustainability professionals, investors, development practitioners, civil society leaders and other stakeholders for a day focused not only on recognising responsible business, but also on advancing serious conversations about sustainability and providing a clearer picture of CSR performance across Nigeria.