U.S. Provides Nearly $100 Million Loan to Africell to Expand American Telecom Technology in Africa
The Trump administration has approved a $99.6 million loan to Africell, the only U.S.-owned mobile network operator active in Africa, through the Export-Import Bank of the United States.
The financing will support Africell’s purchase of advanced mobile network equipment from American and European suppliers for its operations in Angola.
Africell announced the loan on Friday. Company officials said the funds will help expand reliable connectivity, improve coverage, and introduce technology that meets high U.S. private-sector standards.
Ziad Dalloul, Africell’s CEO, president, and founder, stated that the partnership with the Export-Import Bank will bring more trusted and secure communications infrastructure to the company’s markets.
Africell operates in Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone, and The Gambia, serving roughly 15 million customers.
The company entered the Angolan market in 2022 and has since captured significant market share, with its internet services ranked among the best in the country.
The loan forms part of broader U.S. efforts to promote American and allied technology in global telecommunications networks.
Huawei, the world’s largest supplier of telecom network equipment, holds an estimated 52 percent share of Africa’s 5G infrastructure market.
U.S. officials have long raised national security concerns about Huawei equipment, citing risks of espionage—allegations the Chinese company has consistently denied.
Washington has pursued initiatives since the first Trump term to limit the use of certain Chinese telecom technology in U.S. and allied networks.
The latest financing aligns with a 2025 executive order directing U.S. agencies to advance American technology in areas including networking, data centers, and related digital infrastructure abroad.
Africell previously received U.S. government-backed financing.
In 2018, Africell obtained a $100 million facility from the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (now the International Development Finance Corporation) to support network expansion. The company later repaid that loan ahead of schedule.
U.S. officials and Africell have framed the new support as a commercial step that strengthens American technology leadership while offering African consumers greater choice and more resilient networks.
The investment also fits within larger U.S. commercial engagement in Angola and the region, including commitments tied to the Lobito Corridor infrastructure projects.
Huawei and the Chinese embassy did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the loan.
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