Shares in Vodacom Tanzania Plc rose nearly 6 percent above their issue price in their debut on the Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange on Tuesday.
The firm’s share price has made a modest increase after listing compared to previous initial public offerings of cement and cargo handling companies, which doubled on their debuts.
"But it’s a good start ... it gives investors a broader choice of portfolios at the local stock market," George Fumbuka, chief executive officer of Dar es Salaam-based Core Securities,
Vodacom placed 560 million shares at 850 shillings each in Tanzania's biggest IPO, raising 476 billion Tanzanian shillings.
The IPO was part of the government-imposed requirement for all telecom companies to list at least 25 percent of their shares locally. Foreigners initially banned from participating, bought 40 per cent of the shares.
Tanzania hopes mandatory listing of telecom companies will improve transparency and offer the public a share of the industry's profits. Telecommunications is one of the fastest-growing sectors in East Africa's second-biggest economy.
The other two major mobile operators, Millicom subsidiary Tigo and a local arm of India's Bharti Airtel, have also submitted prospectuses, but their IPOs are yet to be approved.
Vodacom Tanzania's IPO was fully subscribed after Tanzania's stock market regulator extended the offer period twice and allowed foreign investors to participate in the sale. The offer had initially been restricted to Tanzanians.
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