US lends $100M to telecoms firm Africell
The deal will help “American and allied suppliers” develop infrastructure to counter China’s Huawei, Reuters reported.
The Trump administration has approved a $100 million loan to US-owned African telecommunications firm Africell. This move comes as competition between the United States and China intensifies in Africa. Africell operates in Angola, The Democratic Republic of Congo, The Gambia, and Sierra Leone. According to Reuters, the loan will aid American and allied suppliers in developing infrastructure to counter Chinese tech giant Huawei.
Africell indicated that the funds will allow them to "continue expanding ambitiously in Angola." The United States and China are also competing for supremacy in Africa's mining industry. The US recently announced plans to develop a major critical minerals processing facility in Kenya, which is believed to contain billions of dollars' worth of rare earths.
Kenyan authorities are tapping into large, untapped deposits of minerals essential for renewable energy and digital technologies, including copper, graphite, lithium, and nickel. This agreement provides a boost for President William Ruto, whose ties with Western leaders have strengthened, and who is focusing on local processing of resources as a key component of his second-term campaign strategy, set to occur in next year's election.
Written by urgent.news from Semafor's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
