MTN Nigeria Unveils equity book-build ahead of IPO

Telecom giant, MTN Nigeria Communications Plc has launched an equity book-build to qualified investors ahead of the sale of 575 million ordinary shares in MTN Nigeria held by MTN International (Mauritius) Limited.

The company announced this after it got regulatory approval from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

This was disclosed by the company’s secretary, Uto Ukpanah, in a statement made available on the website of the Nigerian Exchange Limited on recently.

Book Building is a process that assists companies determine the price of their shares, with the help of investment bankers, when offering them in an Initial Public Offering (IPO).

It is recommended by stock exchanges and regulators because it is the most efficient mechanism to price securities in the market.

MTN had announced the opening of a public offering for its shares and a bid from institutional investors in a transaction totalling 575 million units.

MTN Nigeria posted revenue in excess of N1.2 trillion for the period from January to September on the back of Nigerians’ fast-increasing demand for data.

This development put it on track to surpass this year its full-year sales figure for 2020 when it reported N1.3 trillion.

The statement said the institutional offer opens at 12.00 noon on November 23 and closes at 2.00 p.m. on November 26 after which a fixed price will be determined for the retail offer.

“The retail offer is proposed to open after the institutional offer, and an announcement will be published in this regard once clearance is obtained from the SEC,” it said.

MTN Nigeria’s shares, listed in Lagos, closed at N190 per unit on Tuesday, recording no movement.