Africell confirms US$99.6m ExIm loan to buy US gear for Angola network
September 14th 2026
Pan-African telecoms firm Africell confirmed on Friday it has secured a US$99.6 million direct loan from the US Export-Import Bank (ExIm) primarily to enable the American-owned company to buy only US and European mobile network equipment.
Africell said the loan would be invested specifically in its network in Angola, where it said it has gained significant market share.
While the statement said that Africell could buy telecoms gear from European vendors as well as American ones, it mostly emphasises the benefits of deploying US technology in its network.
“Using secure, trustworthy equipment from the United States will help Angola diversify its technology sources, maintain national control, ensure greater digital resilience, and strengthen protection against cyberattacks and other information-security threats,” the statement said.
A report from Reuters on Friday said that the ExIm loan was intended by the Trump administration to ensure Africell buys its telecoms equipment from US and allied companies rather than Chinese vendors such as Huawei and ZTE.
The Africell-ExIm statement doesn’t say anything about Chinese vendors – only that using US tech will benefit Africell’s customers in Angola and elsewhere.
“Africell’s fast growth in Angola and DRC and our long-term market leadership in Sierra Leone and The Gambia demonstrate the unique benefits that high-class American technology, skills and investment can bring to Africa,” said Africell CEO, president and founder Ziad Dalloul in a statement that lauded “American technology leadership”.
Dalloul added that by deploying US technology, Africell would create “secure pathways for future American and allied digital technologies to be deployed in sub-Saharan Africa.”
Chargé d’Affaires Shannon Nagy Cazeau of the US Embassy to Angola and Sao Tome and Principe said the ExIm loan would boost US-based employment in the telecoms sector and strengthen American technology leadership abroad. “This is a win for both our countries: American technology and a more prosperous, more connected Angola.”
ExIm said the loan is part of a wider US commercial effort expanding access to electricity, transportation, and communications in Angola and surrounding countries, including a more than US$5 billion commitment towards the Lobito Corridor for investment in railway upgrades, bridges, and broadcasting.
In a July 2026 press release marking the USA’s 250th anniversary, Africell described itself as “the only American-owned mobile network operator in Africa and has collaborated on the continent with US government arms and agencies including the White House, the State Department, the US Trade and Development Agency, and ExIm.”
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