Category: Telecoms, ICT & Media

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Orange expresses interest for stake in Ethio Telecom

Frank

ETHIOPIA – French multinational telecommunications company Orange has submitted an expression of interest to participate in the ongoing partial privatization of Ethiopia’s Ethio Telecom firm for an undisclosed value, Ethiopia’s ambassador to Paris has revealed. Henok Teferra Shawl said in a tweet Orange had “formally submitted an interest to participate in the partial privatization of @ethiotelecom.” In June 2021, Ethiopia launched a tendering process for the proposed sell-off of a 40% stake in the state-owned carrier Ethio Telecom to private investors, part of the government’s broader plan to open up the Horn…

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PE Convergence Partners raises US$120m to drive Africa’s digital inclusion

Frank

SOUTH AFRICA – Convergence Partners, the private equity investment firm has announced the first close of its third fund after raising US$120 million. The Convergence Partners Digital Infrastructure Fund (CPDIF) is targeting a final size of US$250 million. The investment company now has more than US$400 million of capital under management. Investors in CPDIF include the CDC Group (the UK’s development finance institution), the US International Development Finance Corporation, the European Investment Bank, the International Finance Corporation and Proparco (the private sector arm of the Agence Française de Développement — AFD…

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Telkom South Africa CEO Sipho Maseko to step down after eight years at the helm

Frank

SOUTH AFRICA -Telkom South Africa group Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Sipho Maseko is leaving the telecommunications company after eight years at the helm. In a press statement, the Johannesburg Stock Exchange-listed firm says Maseko will step down as group CEO and executive director of Telkom and its subsidiaries on 30 June 2022. The process to appoint a successor is well underway and a designated group CEO will be announced in the not too distant future, says the telco. The statement added that Maseko would, for the remainder of his tenure,…

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Investment group Remgro increases stake in CIVH in new US$251.7m rights offer

Frank

SOUTH AFRICA – Investment group Remgro is set to increase its shareholding in Community Investment Ventures Holdings (CIVH) after participating in the company’s rights offer to raise R3.7 billion (US$251.7 million). CIVH is raising fresh capital from its shareholders, which will be used to build up operations and offset debt. Remgro currently holds 55.2% in CIVH and will now increase it to 55.5% after the rights offer. CIVH, which is now valued at R23 billion (US$1.56 billion), issued a notice in May 2021 inviting all its shareholders to participate in…

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Safaricom Telecommunications Ethiopia granted operator license

Frank

ETHIOPIA – The Ethiopian Communications Authority (ECA) has announced that Safaricom Telecommunications Ethiopia PLC has been issued with a final licence even as reports surface that over half of the winning consortium’s financing could be in doubt due to US sanctions. The ECA awarded the final licence “following the incorporation of the local company and business registration by the Global Partnership for Ethiopia” (GPE Consortium). The Safaricom-led consortium received a designated licence in May 2021 after winning the bid and was given 45 days to register a local company. “The…

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SEACOM launches SD-WAN services in Kenya to enable digital transformation

Frank

KENYA – Leading pan-African ICT service provider SEACOM is expanding to bring its software-defined wide-area networking (SD-WAN) services to Kenyan businesses, offering reduced connectivity costs, increased security, agility, and local support to customers. SEACOM’s experience with ICT infrastructure in Africa is extensive; the company launched Africa’s first broadband submarine cable system in 2009 and provides continent-wide secure Internet. It also offers a full suite of communications and cloud solutions that enable the growth of Africa’s digital economy. Their new SD-WAN services are now available to Kenyan businesses. The addition of…

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Liquid Intelligent Technologies appoints Martin Mushambadope as the new CEO for South Sudan

Frank

SOUTH SUDAN – Pan African technology group Liquid Intelligent Technologies, has appointed Martin Mushambadope as the Chief Executive Officer for its operations in South Sudan. Martin brings over 20 years of experience, having worked for various industries such as telecommunications, health insurance, banking, and audit practice. In addition, he has vast International experience being exposed to working environments in Singapore, United Kingdom, Kenya, Ghana, and Zimbabwe. Adil El Youssefi, Regional CEO, Liquid Intelligent Technologies, East Africa said, “Martin is a seasoned, well-respected, experienced senior executive, and he is the right leader to…

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Africell and Nokia to deploy a 5G-ready network in Angola

Frank

ANGOLA – Mobile technology company Africell has partnered with Nokia to deploy Nokia’s network technologies in Angola. The multi-million Euro deal significantly expands the footprint of both Nokia and Africell in Africa. Under the terms of the agreement, Africell will use the latest cloud technologies to achieve cost efficiency gains from shared infrastructure, as well as improved control and flexibility which enable highly differentiated products and services. For the first phase of its new network in Angola, Africell will use Nokia’s AirScale Single Radio AccessNetwork (S-RAN) across up to 700 sites. The network will support 2G,…

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Banque Misr, Microsoft Egypt launch innovation program for startups

Frank

EGYPT – Banque Misr, a financial service provider, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), with Microsoft Egypt to launch the first open innovation program in the Egyptian market, enabling a spurt in fintech startup growth. The collaboration between the two parties aims to enable startups to contribute to digital transformation efforts that are driven by multi-disciplined digital technologies, while enhancing the fintech and entrepreneurial capabilities of these companies. This is in addition to supporting the business environment by establishing joint fintech innovation centers and developing financial and digital services…

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Dimension Data eyes more investment in South Africa’s data center market

Frank

SOUTH AFRICA – Information technology services company Dimension Data is looking to further invest in the data centre market, to expand its infrastructure, as the world sees Africa as the next economic frontier in the digital economy. Dimension Data says that together with parent company NTT, it has ambitions to be a strong data centre player in South Africa and the rest of the continent, as it positions for increased demand for data centre capability, amid Africa’s cloud computing boom. The companies operate 11 data centres with up to 10MW…

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