Washington Backs Africell in Africa Telecom Competition

The Trump administration plans to lend nearly $100 million to Africell, an American-owned telecommunications company operating in Africa, in a bid to expand the use of US and allied technology across the continent. The proposed Export-Import Bank loan would allow Africell to upgrade its infrastructure through the purchase of advanced mobile-network equipment from American and allied suppliers. The initiative is part of Washington’s broader effort to limit Huawei’s influence in overseas telecommunications infrastructure; the Chinese company holds an estimated 52% share of Africa’s 5G infrastructure market. Africell, founded in 2001, serves about 15 million customers in Angola, The Gambia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Sierra Leone. The company previously received $100 million in US development financing in 2018.