Africell snaps up Orange’s Ugandan operations

Africell is a privately owned telecoms company with operations in African countries such as Gambia, Sierra Leone and Democratic Republic of the Congo.  An Orange Group press statement revealed that the transaction is subject to approval from the relevant authorities.  However, the value of the sale is also yet to be revealed.

According to the statement, “This transaction marks a new step in the Orange Group’s asset portfolio optimization strategy for which Africa and the Middle-East remain a strategic priority.”  In March it was reported that the French telecoms group planned to sell part of its over 60 percent stakes in both mobile networks Orange Kenya and Orange Uganda.

Orange announced it was in the process of reviewing its Kenyan and Ugandan operations to determine their business sustainability or the possibility of acquiring additional partners in these two countries.  Orange’s East African operators have both been noted for their poor performance over the last few years, with Orange Uganda struggling to make a dent in that country’s mobile market.  Orange Uganda, which was launched in 2008, is the third largest telecoms operator in Uganda with 620,000 customers recorded at the end of December 2013.

Source: ITWeb Africa