US plans nearly $100 million Africell loan as technology rivalry with China moves deeper into Africa

WASHINGTON — The United States plans to lend nearly $100 million to Africell, Africa's only American-owned telecommunications operator, as Washington intensifies efforts to provide an alternative to Chinese technology suppliers across the continent.

The financing is expected to come from the US Export-Import Bank and will allow Africell to purchase newer mobile-network equipment from American and allied suppliers, according to a draft announcement reviewed by Reuters and a person familiar with the plan.

Africell serves around 15 million customers in Angola, Gambia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sierra Leone. It has previously purchased technology from companies including HP, Nokia, Dell and Oracle.

The policy has a clear geopolitical dimension.

Huawei holds an estimated 52% share of Africa's 5G infrastructure market, according to Counterpoint Research data cited by Reuters. Washington has imposed extensive sanctions on Huawei over national-security and espionage concerns. Huawei has repeatedly denied that its equipment is used for spying.

The proposed Africell loan follows a 2025 US executive order directing government agencies to promote American technology internationally, including AI infrastructure, cloud computing, data-centre storage and networking.

Africell has received American financing before. In 2018, the former Overseas Private Investment Corporation — now the US International Development Finance Corporation — provided it with a $100 million loan to expand telecommunications infrastructure.

The contest is therefore about considerably more than phone towers.

Modern mobile networks increasingly underpin cloud services, financial payments, digital identity systems, government communications, artificial intelligence and huge quantities of national data.

The companies and countries providing Africa's telecommunications infrastructure can acquire long-term economic influence over the continent's digital future.

Africa is consequently becoming one of the most important arenas in the broader US–China technology competition.

Berean News Priority: HIGH