The United States is backing a nearly $100 million expansion of Africell’s telecommunications network in Angola, strengthening Washington’s push to increase the use of American technology in Africa.
The US Export-Import Bank approved a $99.6 million loan to Africell, Africa’s only American-owned telecom operator. The financing will allow the company to purchase mobile network equipment from US and allied suppliers for its operations in Angola.
Africell serves around 15 million customers across Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gambia and Sierra Leone. The company has previously received US government-backed financing, including a $100 million EXIM loan in 2018.
The new financing comes as Washington seeks to limit the expansion of Chinese telecommunications technology across Africa. Huawei holds about 52% of the continent’s 5G infrastructure market.
For Angola, the deal means additional investment in mobile infrastructure. For Washington, it is also part of a broader effort to promote US and allied technology in African markets where Chinese companies have built a strong position.
The transaction shows how competition between the US and China is increasingly extending beyond trade and infrastructure into the digital networks that will shape Africa’s future connectivity.
