Photograph — SABC News

Telecommunications company, Vodacom Group has reached an agreement to sell its operations and assets in Angola to Internet Technologies Angola (ITA). This is in line with the new reposition strategy recently unveiled by the South African-based firm for its markets in Africa.

Under the new strategy, Vodacom will move some of its operations between a number of countries in the continent. This includes a share purchase agreement with Internet Technologies Angola, Vodafone Ghana and Synergy Communications in Nigeria, Zambia, and Ivory Coast. 

“Vodacom has a clear vision for strengthening our position as a leading pan-African business and will work with local service providers to grow in these markets,” CEO of Vodacom Group, Shameel Joosub said. 

The CEO clarified that the company is not exiting any of the territories related to this transaction. In the selected markets, the group will operate as a network provider through local partnerships but will no longer directly service global enterprise customers.

“To support the sustainable growth of pan African digital economies and building connected societies, Vodacom will, via local service providers, continue to service clients in each market,” Joosub added. The overall objective is to grow and strengthen its core business.

In Nigeria, Vodacom is selling 100 percent of its business, while it is also concluding similar plans for its subsidiaries in Zambia and Cote d’Ivoire to Synergy Communications. The latter has a presence in Malawi, Mozambique, and Botswana.

The deal with ITA, one of the largest independent network providers in Angola, is subject to approval from regulatory authorities. Both telecoms companies have a “long-standing and committed relationship” according to the CEO of ITA, Rolf Mendelsohn. He also added building concrete and mutually beneficial partner networks are crucial to providing reliable telecommunications solutions to the enterprise business sector. 

Vodacom Group Limited (operating as Vodacom) is a South African mobile communications company providing voice, messaging, data and converged services to over 55 million customers. The company has grown its operations to include networks in Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mozambique, and Lesotho, while it provides business services to customers in over 32 African countries, including Nigeria, Zambia, Angola, Kenya, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, and Cameroon.

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