MTN Nigeria has launched an equity book-build to qualified investors ahead of its planned sales of 575 million ordinary shares of the company to the public. This is coming after the telecommunications company had obtained regulatory approval from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to proceed with the offer.
The recent development was confirmed by the firm in a press statement signed by its secretary, Uto Ukpanah, and made available on the website of the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX).
Read: Access Bank gets regulatory approval to acquire Grobank
Excerpt of the recent press release reads: “MTN Nigeria Communications Plc (MTN Nigeria) is pleased to announce that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has approved an offer for sale of up to 575 million ordinary shares in MTN Nigeria held by MTN International (Mauritius) Limited, by way of a book-build to qualified investors (Institutional Offer) and a fixed price to retail investors (Retail Offer).’’
According to the disclosure, the Institutional Offer will open at 12:00pm on 23rd of November 2021 and close by 2:00 pm on 26th of November, 2021, after which a fixed price will be determined for the Retail Offer. The retail offer is proposed to open after the institutional offer.
Read: SEC gives two-year extension for compliance on internal controls
What you should know
- Book building is the de facto mechanism by which companies price their IPOs and is highly recommended as one of the most efficient ways to price securities. It involves generating and recording investor demand for shares before arriving at an issue price.
- Recall that MTN Group had earlier disclosed its intention to proceed with a public offer for sale of N575 million shares in MTN Nigeria. The teleco giant had taken a similar decision in some of its strongholds, including but not limited to; Ghana, Rwanda, Zambia, among others.
- The moves are in line with the Asset Realization and Portfolio transformation Program (ARP) of the firm which seeks to simplify its portfolio, reduce debt & risk, improve returns and realise proceeds of at least R15 billion by 2022.
