Angola’s Africell Secures $99.6 Million US EXIM Loan for Network Expansion

The Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM)  has announced a $99.6 million direct loan to Africell,  the only US-owned mobile network operator in Africa, to boost US-based employment in the telecommunications sector and strengthen American technology leadership abroad. The loan will enable Africell to invest in the latest American and European mobile network technology for its Angola operations.

“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. We are pleased to be working with EXIM to introduce more trusted communications infrastructure to our operating markets. In doing so, we are flying the flag for American technology leadership and creating secure pathways for future American and allied digital technologies to be deployed in sub-Saharan Africa, including in the Lobito Corridor region.”

– Ziad Dalloul, CEO, President and Founder, Africell

For Angolans, Africell’s collaboration with the US government will mean broader, more reliable connectivity: more competition, better coverage, and a network built to the exacting technical standards set by the US private sector. 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 quality and results achieved through partnerships with the United States and American companies speak for themselves. This is a win for both our countries: American technology and a more prosperous, more connected Angola.”

– Shannon Nagy Cazeau, Chargé d’Affaires, U.S. Embassy to Angola and Sao Tome and Principe

The EXIM 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 $5 billion commitment towards the Lobito Corridor for investment in railway upgrades, bridges, and broadcasting. In 2025, Africell released Lobito Bound, a feature documentary about US investment in the Lobito Corridor region that was made with the support of the US State Department, that is now streaming worldwide on Prime Video, Apple TV and other major platforms.