Investment

Togo and Poland have signed a EUR24 million (about US$27.85 million) financing agreement to support the local development of next-generation drones.

Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) has approved a commitment of up to $100 million to invest in Africa-focused technology fund managers, as the institution looks to accelerate the continent’s digital industrialisation.

At the recent Africa Forward Summit pan-African operator Orange announced what it calls a major acceleration of its commitments to youth employability, entrepreneurship, digital inclusion, connectivity and inclusive artificial intelligence across the African continent.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) says it is strengthening Jordan’s position as a regional digital hub with a US$14.1 million loan to digital ecosystem Aqaba Digital Hub (ADH) in Aqaba, a coastal city located on the Red Sea.

State-run operator Telecel Zimbabwe is looking for an investor willing not only to take on a very big debt burden but also to put a lot of fresh capital into reviving the company.

Two recent announcements, from smart devices provider Honor and smart mobility specialist Valeo, have underlined the strategic important of Egypt to Middle Eastern and African ITC by growing their presence in the country.

Millicom, a major international operator with a strong focus on Latin America, has officially introduced its Tigo brand in Uruguay and at the same time announced an investment initiative of US$600 million aimed at expanding the country's digital infrastructure.

The government of Sierra Leone has announced the relaunch of state-owned telecom operator Sierratel through a new private sector partnership.

South African open-access fibre network provider Maziv has announced a major investment to expand its network connectivity across South Africa over the next five to seven years.

Amazon is reportedly in talks to buy the satellite group Globalstar, potentially bolstering its own low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite business, Amazon Leo, which is emerging as a competitor to satellite internet constellation Starlink.

Telecoms infrastructure provider Helios Towers has unveiled a plan to invest US$100 million to expand its telecoms infrastructure in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) with backing from the National Agency for the Promotion of Investments (ANAPI).

Bharti Airtel’s data centre subsidiary Nxtra has secured an investment deal worth US$1 billion from Alpha Wave Global, Carlyle and Anchorage Capital via their respective affiliates to expand its network across India and accelerate growth.

Development financial institution the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) and the National Planning Commission (NPC), an advisory body and think tank appointed by the country’s president, have announced the completion of South Africa’s Digital Connectivity Investment Roadmap to 2035.

IFC, a global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets and a member of the World Bank Group (WBG), has announced an investment to expand clean and reliable power for telecom networks in three African countries.

Turkcell a leading service provider in Turkey, says it has signed a landmark US$1 billion syndicated international Murabaha financing agreement with 14 banks.

African technology startups – including mobile-focused initiatives – will receive a financing boost through a €40 million (about US$46million) commitment from EIB Global, the development arm of the European Investment Bank (EIB).

The World Bank Group (WBG) Board of Directors earlier this week approved what is described as a transformative regional initiative that will directly boost job creation in Benin, Liberia and Sierra Leone. It includes a strong focus on digital infrastructure.

Cameroon has approved a loan agreement of about US$195 million with the Export-Import Bank of China. The funding will support phase four of the country’s national fibre optic backbone expansion.

Global digital operator Veon has announced a partnership with the GSMA’s Mobile for Development Foundation to co-fund digital innovation projects in Pakistan and Bangladesh that are supported by the GSMA Innovation Fund.

Nigeria has secured a US$100 million investment from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) for Project Bridge, the country’s flagship broadband expansion initiative.

Regional multilateral development finance institution the African Development Bank Group and the United Nations Development Programme have announced a “transformative" continental drive to accelerate responsible artificial intelligence adoption and inclusive digital economic growth across Africa.

Three Southern African nations – Namibia, Botswana and Lesotho – have been in the news after plans to improve local and regional connectivity were announced.

Colt Technology Services revealed plans on Monday to strengthen its business in the Middle East to meet what it calls “a surge in growth opportunities” in the region driven by cloud adoption, AI investment, digital transformation and financial market growth.

The largest IPO in Zimbabwe’s capital markets history may be imminent after Zimbabwean telecoms business Econet Wireless set a US$1 billion valuation for Econet InfraCo, its new infrastructure development and management business.

ST Telemedia Global Data Centres (STT GDC), a leading player in the Asia Pacific data centre business, has been acquired in what has been described as one of the largest digital infrastructure transactions in Southeast Asia.

Following the news that India’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has frozen the AGR dues of operator Vodafone Idea and allowed staggered repayments spread over 16 years until 2041, the company is now looking ahead with some ambitious investment plans.

Cyprus-based independent subsea infrastructure provider Datawave Networks said on Monday it has secured a deal with affiliates of investment firm Cerberus Capital Management to fund its long-planned Singapore-India-Gulf (SING) Cable System.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), a multilateral developmental investment bank, and Tunisie Telecom, Tunisia’s national telecom operator, say they are partnering to improve the country’s digital infrastructure and drive the company’s transformation.

An American financial company, hired to plan a digitisation programme for the Democratic Republic of Congo, has filed a lawsuit in the United States against the country and several senior officials, reportedly alleging corruption.

One of the continuing complaints of mobile network operators – that streaming and other online services are using their networks to help them make profits without compensating them – is back in the news in South Africa.

Telenor Group, a leading telecommunications and technology company in the Nordic countries and Asia, has successfully completed the sale of its Telenor Pakistan business to Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL), a part of the global technology group (and UAE-headquartered) e&.