One of the biggest telecom firms in Africa, the French Orange Group, has reportedly decided to put down roots in Nigeria, the continent’s most populous nation.
According to a statement made by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Orange dispatched a six-person team led by non-executive Victoria Adefala from its Middle East and Africa network to investigate potential expansion opportunities in the Nigerian market.
With four other carriers already competing for dominance, Orange would be joining a very competitive telecom industry in Nigeria. An industry where MTN Nigeria now holds the biggest market share, followed by Globacom, Airtel, and 9Mobile.
“We are here to ensure steady investment for the long term. We also want to support the vision of the [NCC] in driving broadband penetration for a robust digital economy and leverage on local content development initiatives.” Adefala says, in a statement reported by Developing Telecoms.
In terms of revenue and customer base size, Orange is Africa’s second-largest telecom provider behind MTN Group. The business is present in 17 African countries and has over 140 million connections there as well as one Middle Eastern location in Jordan.
Given that Nigeria is noticeably absent from its list of nations, Adefala emphasized Orange’s view of the nation as a “missing piece,” while pointing out its potential.
“The large market potentials buoyed by the huge population, impressive Gross Domestic Product (GDP) figure, proximity to our operations in the neighboring African countries, as well as the appreciable friendly operating environment are great motivators for our expansion plan into the Nigerian telecom market,” she stated.
Assuring Orange’s scout team that the company has the “full support” of the Federal Government to enter the market was NCC CEO Umar Danbatta. According to Danbatta, this support would be “showcased” via several government programs.
Although no specific project is currently on the table, Orange informed Developing Telecoms that the telecom company would keep researching any option that could be profitable for the Group and the Nigerian market.
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