Africell Angola appoints new CEO

Jorge Vazquez joins Africell following successful leadership roles in the USA with AT&T, Cricket Wireless and Mobilelink 

15 November 2023 | Africell Angola has appointed a new Chief Executive Officer charged with leading the next stage of Africell’s growth in the country.

Jorge Vazquez, an American citizen, joins Africell from Houston-based telecoms firm Mobilelink, where he served as Vice President for Sales and Strategy. Before that Jorge worked at AT&T, the largest mobile network operator in the United States. At AT&T Jorge was Vice President and General Manager of the South Texas market, a US$ 2 billion business unit with over 2,200 employees.

Image: Jorge Vazquez joins Africell Angola as its new Chief Executive Officer

In total, Jorge has 15 years of executive level experience at large, complex and fast-growing telecommunications companies. He has led or been involved in the fourteen new market launches and has overseen the building and opening of over 2,000 retail stores. This experience gives him a strong platform of expertise and experience upon which to lead Africell Angola.

“I’m excited to be joining Africell Angola at this pivotal stage in its development”, says Jorge Vazquez. “Although Africell first launched in Angola almost two years ago and has already accumulated impressive market share, it has maintained the mindset of a startup, meaning that it is still moving fast and doing things differently. I enjoy leading teams in dynamic growth periods, and I look forward to accelerating progress towards Africell’s ultimate goal of being the biggest and best mobile provider in Angola”.

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. Since launching services in Angola in April 2022, Africell has transformed Angola's telecommunications sector and supported efforts by the Angolan government to attract more international investment. In July 2022, Africell became the first operator in Angola to offer 5G services. 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. Africell currently provides connectivity in Luanda, Benguela, Huíla and Cuanza Sul provinces, covering a population of over 15 million people. 

“Angola is a huge growth market for Africell and we need a leader with the right blend of experience, capabilities and approach to capitalise on the opportunity”, says Ziad Dalloul, Africell Group’s London-based CEO, President and Founder. “Jorge has a deep understanding of commercial and operational aspects of telecommunications and boasts an impressive track record of managing big, diverse teams towards bold growth targets. As Africell Angola continues its rapid rollout, Jorge will deliver our strategy on-the-ground while maintaining Africell’s high standards of reliability, affordability and accessibility.”

Africell’s network in Angola is built using secure Nokia technology and is the only commercial mobile network in Africa that is fully compliant with the National Defence Authorization Act (NDAA). At the same time, Africell’s prices are significantly lower than other operators in Angola, meaning that Africell Angola customers enjoy an unprecedented combination of ultra-fast speeds and generous value for money.