27737 - Helios Towers

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Environmental & Social Review Summary

Project Number

27737

Company Name

HTN TOWERS LIMITED

Date ESRS Disclosed

Mar 27, 2009

Country

Nigeria

Region

Africa

Last Updated Date

May 10, 2025

Environmental Category

B - Limited

Status

Active

Previous Events

Approved : Aug 12, 2011
Signed : Jun 26, 2009
Invested : Aug 21, 2009

Sector

Other (Including Satellite Telecommunications, Radio and Television Broadcasting, etc.)

Industry

Telecommunications and Technology

Department

TMT, Venture Capital & Funds

Project Description

The project consists of the nationwide expansion of a shared telecommunication infrastructure network owned by Helios Towers Nigeria (“Helios Towers” or the “Company”). The company currently owns and operates about 383 wireless telecommunications tower sites across Nigeria. As part of its expansion, the company plans to construct 917 additional tower sites to bring its total sites to 1,300 by December 2010. Helios Towers Nigeria Limited was established in 2005 to provide GSM and fixed wireless operators in Nigeria with an economically viable and environmentally friendlier outsourced alternative to in-house construction, maintenance and ownership of telecommunication tower sites. The company builds and maintains a network of telecommunications towers, and leases space on the towers to multiple GSM, fixed wireless and other providers of wireless services under long-term lease agreements.

Overview of IFC's Scope of Review

The review of this project consisted of a visit by IFC staff to the project site, to meet with and interview Helios Towers management and to have a first-hand look at operational activities. IFC staff also appraised technical, environmental and social information submitted by Helios Towers, including:

- Technical specification for the design and construction of Helios tower sites;
- Helios Towers’ human resources handbook;
- Helios Towers’ standard agreement with contractors; and
- Environmental and social impact assessments of three Helios tower sites.

E & S Project Categorization and Applicable Standard

IFC’s environmental and social due diligence indicates that the principal Performance Standards (PSs) to be applied to this investment are:

- PS1: Social and Environmental Assessment and Management Systems;
- PS2: Labor and Working Conditions; and
- PS3: Pollution Prevention and Abatement.

Environmental and social impact assessments of individual potential sites are expected to screen out sites where any significant issue would exist relating to community health, safety and security or biodiversity conservation and natural habitats (PS4 and PS6). Helios Towers is committed to avoiding sites where involuntary resettlement would be an issue (PS5). No issue relating to indigenous peoples is expected to arise in this project (PS7). The company would avoid developing any site where a significant issue relating to cultural heritage would need to be managed (PS8). Nevertheless, a condition of IFC’s investment will be that Helios Towers’ operations shall consider all relevant social and environmental risks and impacts, including issues covered in all IFC PSs.

This project involves the development of cellular tower sites. The key issues associated with the project are environmental, health, safety, and social management; construction of towers; labor and working conditions (including employee and contractor occupational health and safety); pollution prevention and abatement; and biodiversity conservation. The nature of the company’s operations is such that no major adverse environmental or social impacts are expected to result from the project, and that it will be possible to avoid or mitigate any limited adverse impacts that might result. As a result, it has been classified as a Category B project according to IFC’s Procedure for Environmental and Social Review of Projects.

Environmental and Social Mitigation Measures

The proposed project will upon implementation of the specific agreed measures comply with applicable standards including host country laws and regulations, IFC Performance Standards, and IFC environmental, health and safety guidelines. Helios Towers’ plans for environmental and social management are summarized as follows:

Environmental, Health, Safety and Social Management:

Helios Towers has assessed risks and impacts relating to issues such as right-of-way alignment and the safety of both its own employees and contractors’ employees. The 917 tower sites planned by the company are all designed to support collocation of equipment by multiple operators. The company commissions independent consultants to perform environmental and social impact assessments for all sensitive sites. Permits are obtained for each site and are available for viewing at the company’s offices. At all sites, the company always avoids physical or economic displacement of local community members.

Helios Towers outsources construction of new tower sites to reputable companies with high quality management standards. Helios Towers provides precise specifications to contractors for durable construction of towers. The Company includes terms in its agreements with contractors requiring sound environmental and social management by the contractors, and monitors compliance with those terms. Contract terms provide for termination of contracts in the event of non-compliance with environmental and social requirements.

The company will ensure prior disclosure of the development of new tower sites to local communities, as site conditions warrant. The company is exploring possible options in the area of renewable energy and energy efficiency for tower sites. Helios Towers’ policies and procedures will ensure that the company manages all relevant functions covered in IFC’s PS2 through PS8.

Labor and Working Conditions:

Helios Towers’ policies and procedures are designed to ensure compliance with all applicable local labor laws and regulations. These policies and procedures promote the fair treatment, non-discrimination and equal opportunity of its employees, and include written procedures for handling employee grievances. Helios Towers ensures that its employees are provided with appropriate personal protective equipment and health and safety training for the type of work in which they are engaged. For all of its offices, operational sites, switching centers, and retail outlets, Helios Towers employs appropriate measures for life and fire safety. In addition, the company has agreed to implement additional procedures to continue to ensure that no employee is below the legal employment age.

Helios Towers makes commercially reasonable efforts to ensure that contractors’ employees who perform work related to core functions of Helios Towers for a substantial duration shall be provided a safe and healthy work environment, including appropriate training, protective clothing and equipment. Helios Towers shall also make commercially reasonable efforts to continue to ensure that no contractors’ employee who performs work related to core functions of Helios Towers for a substantial duration is below the legal employment age.

Pollution Prevention and Abatement:

Helios Towers has established policies and procedures for waste management at construction sites, and includes terms in its agreements with contractors that cover pollution prevention and abatement. Fuel tanks at tower sites are constructed of steel, the choice of material for pressurized tanks, and go through rigorous quality assurance to ensure reliability. Remote monitoring of the tanks is performed. As a condition of IFC’s investment, Helios Towers will develop and implement an action plan to add secondary containment structures around fuel tanks at all Helios Towers facilities no later than the end of 2010.

Stakeholder Engagement

Helios Towers recognizes the importance of community engagement. For acquisition of tower sites, Helios Towers shall consult with relevant municipalities and local village councils, obtain required authorizations, and comply with local codes and IFC Performance Standards. For all aspects of community engagement, Helios Towers has agreed to develop to IFC’s satisfaction any further procedures needed to comply with IFC Performance Standards, including disclosure of relevant facts to community members regarding proposed new sites, and provision for handling and resolving complaints or grievances received from community members regarding any tower site.

**Information on IFC's Policy and Performance Standards on Environmental and Social Sustainability can be found at www.ifc.org/sustainability

IFC supports its clients in addressing environmental and social issues arising from their business activities by requiring its real sector clients to set up and administer appropriate grievance mechanisms and/or procedures to address complaints from Affected Communities in relation to environmental and social issues arising from IFC's clients' business activities. Since 2012, IFC's Financial Intermediary clients applying the Performance Standards are required to develop External Communications Mechanisms to receive and review inquiries or complaints from any interested party regarding the E&S risks and impacts of their operations.

For IFC projects that are active or under consideration, individual(s), or their authorized representative(s), who allege they have been or will be adversely affected by E&S risks or impacts arising from IFC's clients' business activities, may submit a complaint to IFC directly for consideration. When receiving an E&S complaint, IFC engages with complainants and works with its clients to find solutions to E&S concerns as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Complaints can be submitted to IFC online at www.ifc.org/escomplaints or by email to EScomplaints@ifc.org.

IFC complaint response is separate from and complementary to IFC’s clients’ project level grievance mechanisms and IFC’s Independent Accountability Mechanism (CAO). Lodging a complaint directly with IFC does not, at any time, restrict access to CAO.

Affected communities have unrestricted access to the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO), the independent accountability mechanism for IFC and MIGA. CAO facilitates the resolution of complaints related to IFC and MIGA projects and sub-projects, undertakes reviews of IFC’s and MIGA’s environmental and social compliance, fosters public accountability for their commitments, and enhances the environmental and social performance of IFC and MIGA.

Independent of IFC and MIGA management and reporting directly to the IFC and MIGA Boards of Executive Directors, CAO helps resolve issues raised about the environmental and social impacts of projects through a neutral, collaborative, problem-solving approach via its Dispute Resolution function. It also reviews IFC’s and MIGA’s compliance with environmental and social policies, assesses related harm, and recommends remedial actions through its Compliance function. Additionally, CAO provides advice to IFC, MIGA, and their Boards to enhance environmental and social sustainability performance and minimize the risk of harm.

Complaints may relate to environmental and social harm regarding any aspect of the planning, implementation, or impact of a project or sub-project, and can be made by any individual, group, community, entity, or other party affected or likely to be affected by the environmental or social impacts of an IFC- or MIGA-financed business activity.

Complaints can be submitted by any of the following methods:

Online form: available at https://www.cao-ombudsman.org/
Mail/Hand Delivery to: 2121 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20433, USA
Voice mail: +1 202 458 1973
Email: cao@worldbankgroup.org
SMS, WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal: +1 202 650 2627

CAO receives and addresses complaints in accordance with the CAO Policy, which can be accessed at: https://www.cao-ombudsman.org/policies-guidelines.

This Environmental and Social Review Summary (ESRS) is prepared by IFC to disclose its findings and recommendations related to environmental and social considerations regarding potential investments. Its purpose is to enhance the transparency of IFC's activities. For any project documentation or data included or attached herein, whether prepared by the project sponsor or otherwise, authorization has been given for public release by the project sponsor. IFC considers that this ESRS is of adequate quality for release to the public, but has not necessarily independently verified all of the project information therein.
It is distributed in advance of IFC Board of Directors' consideration and may be periodically updated thereafter. Board dates are estimates only and this document should not be construed as presuming the outcome of the Board Directors’ decision. The following ESRS is disclosed in accordance with IFC's Access to Information Policy (AIP).

The map is for illustrative purposes and does not imply the expression of any opinion on the part of the World Bank, concerning the legal status of any country or territory or concerning the delimitation of frontiers or boundaries. Country borders or names do not necessarily reflect the World Bank Group's official position. In some cases, available project location information is limited to the country of the project's activities. Locations are approximate.

Projects

Environmental & Social Review Summary

Project Description

Overview of IFC's Scope of Review

E & S Project Categorization and Applicable Standard

Identified Applicable Performance Standards

Environmental and Social Categorization and Rationale

Environmental and Social Mitigation Measures

Environmental and Social Mitigation Measures

Stakeholder Engagement

Stakeholder Engagement

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