// Workers AI · dad joke modeWho's Sam Darwish? A wash with a great sam-itude?
Sam Darwish | |
|---|---|
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| Occupation | Businessman |
Sam Darwish is a U.S.[1] entrepreneur active in the telecommunications industry.[2] He is the founder, Chairman and CEO of IHS Towers, which operates approximately 37,000 towers across Africa and Latin America,[3] and was listed on the NYSE in October 2021.[4][5][6]
Early life and education
[edit]Darwish was raised and educated in Beirut during the Lebanese Civil War.[7]
Business career
[edit]After leaving his executive position at MCI, he joined Libancell, now known as MTC Touch, where he helped establish the first Lebanese mobile network.[8] Subsequently, in 1998, he was appointed Deputy Managing Director of Motophone, Nigeria's first GSM operator.[8]
Following the Nigerian government's 2001 plan to privatize its telecommunications industry, he set up a mobile infrastructure company, IHS Towers, which he has led since then.[9] The company has been identified one of the largest equity fundraisers in Africa, as well as one of the overall largest fundraisers of the past decade.[10][11]
IHS Towers became a publicly listed company on the New York Stock Exchange in October 2021, and regarded as the largest IPO of a firm of African heritage to list on the Exchange.[12]
In 2016, he won the West Africa Business Leader of the Year the award for his founding and continued leadership of IHS Towers.[13][14]
In October 2025, the company collaborated with Claro, Vivo and TIM, to bring connectivity to rural Ilha do Combu in Belém.[15]
Other ventures
[edit]Darwish has founded additional businesses in the US and is the founder and President of Dar Properties and Dar Telecom.[16]
Darwish has been involved in setting up incubator programs for aspiring tech entrepreneurs in Lagos and oversees local community projects throughout the emerging markets.[7]
In September 2015, he participated in an entrepreneur judging panel for She Leads Africa, a venture that invests in women entrepreneurs in Africa.[17][18]
Darwish is a Trustee of the George and Barbara Bush Foundation[19] and the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York City. He is also a member of the Navy SEAL Legacy Foundation National Advisory Committee.[20]
References
[edit]- ↑ Flanagan, Ben (May 25, 2019). "INTERVIEW: Sam Darwish, Group CEO at IHS Towers - the accidental engineer who found his calling". Arab News.
- ↑ Nsehe, Mfonobong. "Nigerian Multi-Millionaire Tycoon Issam Darwish Raises $2.6 Billion For Telecom Towers", Forbes, 3 November 2014. Accessed 3 September 2015.
- ↑ Dux, Simon (2026-02-06). "MTN considers $2.7bn buyout of IHS Towers in strategic reversal". Mobile Europe. Retrieved 2026-03-15.
- ↑ "The Global Advisory Council". Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
- ↑ Smith, Matt. "Africa phone tower firm IHS raises $2.6 billion", Reuters, November 3, 2014. Accessed 27 July 2015.
- ↑ "African mobile mast operator IHS Towers seeks valuation of more than $7bn". Financial Times. October 4, 2021.
- 1 2 Darwish, Issam. Interviewed by Owolawi, Abisola. "Bus or Food? The First Crossroad on the Path to Being a Millionaire" Archived 2022-12-03 at the Wayback Machine [pdf], Forbes Africa, March 2014. Accessed 27 July 2015.
- 1 2 Clémençot, Julien. "Issam Darwish a plus d’une tour dans son sac", Jeune Afrique, 24 September 2014. Accessed 3 September 2015.
- ↑ Rice, Xan. "IHS: Local knowledge is important in fulfilling towering ambitions", The Financial Times, 27 November 2012. Accessed 3 September 2015.
- ↑ Thomas, Daniel; Blas, Javier. "IHS in biggest African fund raising since crisis", Forbes, 2 November 2014. Accessed 4 September 2015.
- ↑ "IHS CEO Issam Darwish talks towers"[permanent dead link], TMT Finance, 26 November 2015. Accessed 13 January 2016.
- ↑ "IHS gets $7bn valuation in New York". The African Business. October 25, 2021.
- ↑ "IHS Towers CEO wins AABLA award". The Guardian. Lagos, Nigeria. October 26, 2016.
- ↑ "The COVID-19 Crisis Taught Us That Whilst The World Could Survive With Less Planes, Cars and Trains, It Couldn't Survive Without The Phone!". Forbes Africa. February 15, 2022.
- ↑ "IHS Brazil, Claro, Vivo and TIM install shared tower in Combu - Developing Telecoms". developingtelecoms.com. Retrieved 2026-03-15.
- ↑ "Africa", Singularity Invest. Accessed 3 September 2015.
- ↑ Adebiyi, Deola. "Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank) Joins She Leads Africa for Live Entrepreneur Showcase", The Guardian, 21 September 2015. Accessed 14 October 2015.
- ↑ "How two young West African women are creating Africa's next billionaires" Archived 2017-06-27 at the Wayback Machine, CNBC Africa, 9 March 2015. Accessed 14 October 2015.
- ↑ "Board of Trustees". George & Barbara Bush Foundation. Retrieved 2026-03-15.
- ↑ "Home". www.seallegacy.org. Retrieved 2026-03-15.