The Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) has approved a $99.6 million direct loan to Africell, the sole US-owned mobile network operator in Africa. The transaction is designed to fund network expansion in Angola while supporting US-based telecommunications manufacturing, export employment, and digital infrastructure presence on the continent.
Africell will use the capital to integrate advanced American and European telecommunications equipment across its Angolan operations. The investment forms part of a broader US commercial strategy aimed at strengthening digital resilience, expanding secure communications networks, and offering alternative technology supply chains across sub-Saharan Africa.
Strengthening Secure Connectivity and Digital Resilience
The capital injection will support network coverage expansion and improve service reliability across Angola. By integrating technology from US and allied vendors, the initiative aims to increase market competition, raise technical standards, and enhance cyber resilience against information security threats.
Ziad Dalloul, CEO, president, and founder of Africell, stated that the partnership with US EXIM will introduce secure communications infrastructure across the company’s operating markets. He noted that the expansion builds on Africell’s existing presence in Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone, and The Gambia, while creating deployment pathways for trusted digital technologies in sub-Saharan Africa.
Shannon Nagy Cazeau, Chargé d’Affaires at the US Embassy to Angola and Sao Tome and Principe, highlighted that the agreement reflects a mutual commitment to economic growth, digital connectivity, and expanded commercial ties between both nations.
Alignment with the Lobito Corridor Initiative
The loan aligns with a broader US government infrastructure initiative directing over $5 billion toward the Lobito Corridor. This strategic trade corridor encompasses investments in rail transport upgrades, energy access, bridges, and telecommunications networks connecting Angola, the DRC, and Zambia.
To highlight regional development along the trade route, Africell released Lobito Bound in 2025. Produced with support from the US State Department, the feature documentary details public and private investment across the Lobito Corridor and is available on major global streaming platforms.
Through direct financing from US EXIM, Africell’s network expansion reinforces the role of commercial capital and international partnerships in scaling secure digital public infrastructure across West and Central Africa.
