CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — The Trump administration has provided a $99.6 million loan to a U.S.-owned cell phone network operator in Africa to expand American tech presence on a continent where China's Huawei is a leading player.
The loan from the U.S. government's Export-Import Bank was announced by the operator Africell on Friday. It is the only U.S.-owned cell network operator in Africa.
Africell said in a statement the loan would "boost U.S.-based employment in the telecommunications sector and strengthen American technology leadership abroad." It said the money would allow it to invest specifically in American and European technology for its operations in the southern African country of Angola.
Africell also operates in Congo, Sierra Leone and Gambia, it said.
Huawei is the world's biggest supplier of telecommunications network equipment and is estimated to have supplied more than half the 4G and 5G network infrastructure in Africa.
#loan
The loan from the U.S. government's Export-Import Bank was announced by the operator Africell on Friday. It is the only U.S.-owned cell network operator in Africa.
Africell said in a statement the loan would "boost U.S.-based employment in the telecommunications sector and strengthen American technology leadership abroad." It said the money would allow it to invest specifically in American and European technology for its operations in the southern African country of Angola.
Africell also operates in Congo, Sierra Leone and Gambia, it said.
Huawei is the world's biggest supplier of telecommunications network equipment and is estimated to have supplied more than half the 4G and 5G network infrastructure in Africa.
#loan
6 hours ago
