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Africell is set to secure a financing package of nearly $100 million from the United States Export-Import Bank (EXIM Bank) to upgrade its mobile network infrastructure and purchase telecommunications equipment from U.S. and allied suppliers.
The financing, being assembled under the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, is aimed at supporting Africell’s acquisition of modern network equipment as the United States seeks to expand the global reach of American technology and reduce reliance on Chinese telecommunications suppliers.
Africell is Africa’s only mainstream U.S.-owned mobile network operator, with operations in Sierra Leone, Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo and The Gambia. The company serves an estimated 15 to 16 million subscribers across markets with a combined population of more than 150 million people.
The loan forms part of a $100 million U.S.-backed financing facility announced in 2018. With the latest financing signed and disbursed, Africell’s publicly reported U.S. financing could rise to nearly $200 million.
The facility is expected to support the purchase of telecommunications equipment from American and allied companies, reinforcing Washington’s efforts to promote U.S. technology in African markets while challenging the growing influence of Chinese technology providers, particularly Huawei.
Huawei is estimated to supply about 52 percent of Africa’s 5G infrastructure, making telecommunications equipment an increasingly important area of competition between the United States and China.
Africell’s planned financing is therefore being viewed as part of a broader U.S. strategy to strengthen American technology and commercial interests across Africa, while supporting the expansion and modernisation of telecommunications infrastructure.
However, the EXIM Bank and Africell have not yet finalised or publicly released the specific details of the transaction, including the precise terms and structure of the financing.
