Africell Uganda Limited
TypePrivate
IndustryTelecommunications
Founded2014 Closed 2021
Defunct1 October 2021
Headquarters28–30 Clement Hill Road
Nakasero, Kampala, Uganda
Key people
Ziad Dalloul
Group Chairman
and Group CEO[1]
ServicesTelecommunications
IT
Websiteafricell.ug
Africell's main office in Kampala, Uganda

Africell Uganda, whose full legal name was Africell Uganda Limited (AUL), was an information and communication technology network company in Uganda.[2] It was the third-largest telecommunications company in the country, by customer numbers.[3] However, the company closed all its businesses in Uganda in 2021 based on a careful assessment of the long-term commercial outlook for the business.

Location

The headquarters and main office of AUL were located in the Africell Office Building, at 28–30 Clement Hill Road, on Nakasero Hill in the Central Division of Kampala, the capital and largest city in the country.[4] The coordinates of the company headquarters are 0°19'09.0"N, 32°35'24.0"E (Latitude:0.319169; Longitude:32.589992).[5]

History

Africell Uganda was established in May 2014, when Africell acquired the majority stake that Orange Telecom owned in its Uganda cellular network.[2][6][7] Africell paid $12 million for that stake, inheriting an estimated 1,000,000 subscribers.[1] In November 2014, the Group Chairman and CEO announced plans to invest US$150 million in the next five years, to upgrade the Africell network in Uganda.[8]

Subscribers

In 2014, the network subscribers in Uganda were estimated at one million.[1] As of September 2018, its subscriber customer numbers had risen to 2.1 million.[9] In April 2020, the company's website gives the number of subscribers as over 3,000,000.[10] The table below illustrates the progressive customer growth for the company.

Africell Uganda Subscriber Numbers
RankDateSubscribersNotes
1December 2013625,000[3]
2May 20141,000,000[1]
3September 20182,100,000[9]
4April 20203,000,000[10]

Ownership

The table below summarizes the shareholding in the business.[2]

Africell Uganda Stock Ownership
RankName of OwnerPercentage Ownership
1Africell53.0
2Hits Telecom Holding47.0
Total100.00

Operations

In 2018, Africell Holdings, the parent company of Africell Uganda, secured a loan of US$100 million from the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), to expand operations in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Africell Holdings maintains subsidiaries in the Gambia, Sierra Leone, DR Congo and Uganda.[11] As of January 2015, Africell Uganda maintained coverage in the majority of Uganda's geographical area.[12]

Closure and exit from Uganda

In September 2021 the company announced that it would close business and exit the country, 7 October 2021. At the time of its closure, the Telcom had an estimated 3 million subscribers, accounting for about four percent(4%) market share.[13][14]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Zekaria, Simon (14 August 2014). "In Africa, a Telco Disruptor Looks for Gaps Amongst Giants". The Wall Street Journal. New York City. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 Ismail Musa Ladu (20 May 2014). "New company Buys Orange Telecom". Daily Monitor. Kampala. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  3. 1 2 Mark Keith Muhumuza (19 May 2014). "Orange Uganda Sold To Africell". Kampala: Uganda Radio Network. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  4. ↑ "About Africell Uganda: Customer Care: Head Office, Clement Hill Road, Kampala". Kampala: Africell Uganda. 26 April 2020. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  5. ↑ Google (24 May 2016). "Location of the Headquarters of Africell Uganda Limited" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
  6. ↑ Administrator (19 May 2014). "Orange Uganda Sold to Africell". The Red Pepper. Mukono. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
  7. ↑ New Vision (19 May 2014). "Orange sells its stake in Uganda to Africell". New Vision. Kampala. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
  8. ↑ Nicholas Bariyo (17 November 2014). "Africell Plans to Invest $150 Million to Upgrade Uganda Operations". The Wall Street Journal. New York City. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
  9. 1 2 John Ivan Kisekka (14 April 2019). "5 things Africell Uganda is doing that the other telecoms should copy". Kampala: Dignited.com. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  10. 1 2 Africell Uganda (26 April 2020). "About Africell Uganda". Kampala: Africell Uganda. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  11. ↑ News Agencies (13 November 2018). "Africell Secures $100m Loan To Expand Services In Uganda, DRC". Kamala: The Tower Post. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  12. ↑ Roger Bambino (8 January 2015). "Here are the coverage maps for all voice and data mobile networks in Uganda". Kampala: Techjaja.com. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  13. ↑ Paul Murungi (9 September 2021). "Africell's exit was only a matter of time". Daily Monitor. Kampala, Uganda. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  14. ↑ Cecilia Okoth (7 September 2021). "Telecom giants drive Africell out of Uganda". New Vision. Kampala, Uganda. Retrieved 10 September 2021.

00°19′09″N 32°35′24″E / 0.31917°N 32.59000°E / 0.31917; 32.59000

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