Telegeography, Globacom, a Nigerian mobile telecoms operator owned by
Adenuga, is lodging a $600 million takeover bid for Comium Cote
d’Ivoire, a company that has been grappling with debt and cash flow
problems.
If the deal goes through, Globacom will have succeeded
in extending its brand presence in West Africa. Already, the mobile
telecoms operator has operations in Nigeria, Ghana and Benin Republic.
Globacom, which already owns an international carrier services licence
in Cote d’Ivoire, reportedly plans to invest over $1 billion in
upgrading Comium-CI’s network over three years.
Comium CI has more than 900,000 mobile subscribers according to L’Autorite de Regulation des
Telecommunications.
It is a subsidiary of Comium Group, a Lebanon-based telecommunications
company owned by Lebanese businessman Nizar Dalloul. The group operates
as a multi-service provider on four continents, specializing in Wireless
Data Networks, GSM communications, Internet service provision and VoIP.
Comium CI is heavily enmeshed in debt to the tune of more than $25
million and has been given until 15 May to pay off its debts or risk
being placed into receivership.
Mike Adenuga, 63, is the 2nd
richest man in Nigeria with a fortune estimated at $4.7 billion
according to FORBES’ World Billionaires ranking. He owes his fortune to
his ownership of Nigerian mobile telecoms outfit Globacom, and Conoil
Producing, a Nigerian oil exploration firm that operates 6 oil blocks in
the Niger Delta.
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