The United States is set to lend nearly $100 million to Africell, Africa’s only American-owned telecommunications company, as Washington steps up efforts to reduce China’s Huawei influence in the continent’s telecoms sector.
The loan, to be provided through the US Export-Import Bank, will enable Africell to invest in mobile network technology supplied by American and allied companies, according to the Trump administration.
Africell Chief Executive Officer, Ziad Dalloul, said the company was pleased to work with the US government to expand secure communications infrastructure in its markets.
“We are pleased to be working with EXIM to introduce more trusted and secure communications infrastructure to our operating markets,” Dalloul said.
The funding is part of Washington’s broader campaign to promote non-Huawei telecommunications equipment overseas and strengthen the use of US technology in international markets.
Africell operates in Angola, The Gambia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sierra Leone, serving about 15 million customers across the four countries.
The company has previously invested in technology from American and European suppliers, including HP, Nokia, Dell and Oracle.
The US has for years raised national security concerns over Huawei’s telecommunications equipment, alleging that the Chinese company could be used for espionage. Huawei has consistently denied the allegations.
Huawei currently accounts for about 52 per cent of Africa’s 5G infrastructure market, according to Counterpoint Research, making it a major player in the continent’s rapidly expanding telecommunications sector.
The latest US financing follows a 2025 executive order by President Donald Trump directing US agencies to promote American technology abroad, including in artificial intelligence, cloud computing, data centres and telecommunications.
The move also comes as Huawei faces a separate legal battle in the United States.
A federal criminal trial against the Chinese technology giant opened in Brooklyn this week, with US prosecutors accusing Huawei of stealing trade secrets from American companies, violating sanctions and concealing its business dealings in Iran.
Prosecutors have described Huawei as a criminal enterprise and alleged that the company stole technology from five US companies, including Cisco Systems and T-Mobile.
Huawei has denied the allegations, with its lawyers arguing that the US government is portraying legitimate business activities and isolated actions by individual employees as evidence of a broader criminal conspiracy.
The trial is expected to last about three months.
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The Africell financing is not directly linked to the criminal case, but it comes amid growing US efforts to limit Huawei’s influence in global telecommunications and encourage countries to use alternative suppliers.
The Trump administration has continued a policy first advanced during his earlier presidency to restrict Chinese telecommunications technology in US and allied infrastructure.
Africell previously received a $100 million loan from the US government in 2018 to support the expansion of its communications infrastructure.
The company said the new financing would help it introduce newer network technology from US and allied suppliers across its African markets.
The Chinese embassy in Washington defended Chinese investment in Africa, saying it had contributed to economic growth and was welcomed by local communities. It urged Washington to support African development rather than pursue policies aimed at undermining China-Africa cooperation.
About the Author
Cecilia Attah is a tech analyst with a degree from Benue State University. She covers tech news and startups at TechRegard with a focus on how technology is transforming Africa and shaping the global landscape.
