The Cellcom deal was completed through Orange's Côte d’Ivoire subsidiary and sees the leading mobile operator in Liberia, according to its subscriber base figures at the end of 2015, boost Orange's presence in the region.
“Less than three months after signing the agreement with Cellcom Telecommunications Limited for the acquisition of its Liberian subsidiary, Orange has obtained all the official approbations necessary to complete the transaction. Cellcom Liberia has 1.4 million customers,” said an Orange statement.
With a population of 4.3 million people and relatively low mobile penetration rate (66% of the population), the country has a high-growth potential for Orange.
The news comes the same week as Orange funded $80 million and became a shareholder of the Africa Internet Group (AIG).
“With this strategic investment, Orange now has the capacity to play a leading role in the fast-growing ecommerce market in Africa. This acquisition is combined with the signature of several important partnership agreements that will create value for all parties,” said Stéphane Richard, chairman and CEO of Orange.
“In particular, across the twelve countries where we have a common presence, this investment will enable us to significantly develop our ability to market products and services developed by Orange Middle East & Africa over the Internet.”
