The Trump administration finances the US-owned telecoms operator to expand trusted mobile network technology across the continent.
The US government is set to provide a loan of nearly $100 million to Africell, Africa’s only American-owned telecommunications provider, in a bid to challenge Huawei’s dominant market presence across the continent.
According to a draft press release reviewed by Reuters, the funding from the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) will allow Africell to deploy mobile network infrastructure sourced from American and allied vendors.
“We are pleased to be working with EXIM to introduce more trusted and secure communications infrastructure to our operating markets,” said Ziad Dalloul, Chief Executive of Africell Holding Limited. Neither Huawei nor the Chinese embassy immediately responded to requests for comment.
The move marks the latest step in Washington’s ongoing efforts to limit the global expansion of Chinese telecommunications equipment. Huawei currently commands approximately 52% of Africa’s 5G infrastructure market, according to data from Counterpoint Research.
The financial package aligns with a 2025 executive order issued by President Donald Trump directing US agencies to promote American technology internationally across networking, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence sectors.
Founded in 2001, Africell serves 15 million subscribers across Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gambia, and Sierra Leone. The firm previously received a $100 million loan from the US International Development Finance Corporation in 2018 to support network expansion.
