Africell launches services in Angola’s Huíla Province

Expansion to new region brings fast, reliable and affordable communications to more Angolan consumers

Image: a view of Lubango, the biggest city in Angola's Huíla Province

Africell Angola is launching mobile services in Huíla Province in the next big step of its ambitious national growth strategy.

Africell’s expansion into Huíla Province just over a year after starting operations in the country means that Africell Angola’s network now covers a population of almost 15 million people. Following successful launches in Luanda and Benguela which have given mobile users in those regions lower prices and faster connectivity, the activation of services in Huíla Province extends those benefits to millions more customers, offering individuals, households and businesses a powerful new platform for digital participation.

Africell products and services will be available to customers in Huíla Province through Africell-branded stores and kiosks (as well as a growing ecosystem of third-party distributors) in Lubango, Humpata and surrounding districts. So far, Africell has recruited almost 300 employees and agents in Huíla. Over a hundred cell sites will deliver the mobile coverage to begin with.

Expansion into Huíla Province accelerates Africell’s long-term project of providing secure and reliable connectivity to the whole of Angola. With a population of almost two and a half million people and vibrant economy fuelled by agriculture, mining and other industries, Huíla is a logical territory for the continuation of Africell’s phased rollout in Angola, with Namibe and Huambo the next provinces scheduled to gain coverage.

“Africell’s is already proving the benefits of competition in Angola’s mobile sector”, says Godfrey Efeurhobo, Africell Group’s Chief Commercial Officer and acting CEO of Africell Angola. “The quick uptake of Africell services in Luanda and Benguela shows that there is lots of demand for a new telecommunications operator. We are thrilled that mobile users in Huíla Province now have direct access to Africell services and look forward to giving them a better telecommunications experience than they have had before”.

Africell is the only US-owned mobile network operator in sub-Saharan Africa. The US government, through the Development Finance Corporation (DFC) is the company's biggest external investor. Africell’s launch in Angola has transformed Angola's telecommunications sector and boosted efforts by the Angolan government to attract more international investment. Africell introduced Afrimoney, its mobile money platform, to Angola in April 2023, in a bid to increase financial inclusion and connect more Angolans into the formal economy.