Latest news with #CongoBrazzaville
Zawya
19-05-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Airtel Africa, MTN seek infrastructure sharing deal in Rwanda and Congo
Africa's telecommunication giants Airtel Africa Plc and South Africa's MTN Group are looking for opportunities to share network infrastructure in Rwanda, Congo-Brazzaville and Zambia in a bid to lower capital and operational costs, enhance the quality of service to customers and extend digital and financial inclusion across Africa. Airtel disclosed in its latest audited financial statements for the year ended March 31, 2025, that the planned infrastructure sharing agreements target sharing of all access network equipment, including the antenna, mast and backhaul equipment collectively referred to as Radio Access Network (RAN). The latest disclosure comes after the two telcos concluded similar agreements in Uganda and Nigeria in March this year targeting improved network cost efficiencies, expanded coverage and the provision of enhanced mobile services to millions of customers, particularly those in remote and rural areas who do not yet fully enjoy the benefits of a modern connected life.'Following the conclusion of agreements in Uganda and Nigeria, MTN and Airtel Africa are exploring various opportunities in other markets, including Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Zambia,' says Airtel. Telecom infrastructure sharing is a growing trend in the telecommunications industry, where different service providers share resources like cell towers and network equipment and most of these infrastructure sharing agreements are the result of commercial negotiations rather than regulatory intervention. The practices help to reduce costs and has the potential to enable the delivery of world-class, reliable mobile services to more and more customers across Africa. RAN sharing is the most comprehensive form of access network sharing involving the sharing of all access network equipment, including the antenna, mast and backhaul equipment. Airtel Africa which has operations in 14 African countries says reaching underserved communities is its key priority and the company would continue to expand rural coverage through new site rollouts and investment in spectrum and technologies to support increased capacity to facilitate corporate purpose of transforming lives.'As part of ensuring our services are future ready, in addition to purchasing spectrum, we grew our fibre infrastructure and 5G capabilities and remain committed to our investment into data centres to further support digital inclusion across our markets,' the telco says. Airtel group continues to invest in its network and distribution infrastructure to enhance both mobile connectivity and financial inclusion across its countries of operation.'In particular, we continue to invest in expanding our 4G and 5G network to increase data capacity, deploy new sites – especially in rural areas – thereby enhancing coverage and connectivity,' it says.'Our refreshed strategy puts the customer at the core of our strategy. We believe that by ensuring great customer experience, we will deliver on our corporate purpose of transforming lives across Africa.'Airtel says it remains focused on enhancing its 4G network availability, along with expanding newly launched 5G technology in key markets like Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.'Mobile money continues to be a key growth engine for the Group. We remain focused on building Africa's most accessible and inclusive digital financial services platform—one that delivers both impact and sustainable value for Airtel Africa,' it says. Last year Airtel Africa Plc concluded a deal to extend its telecommunication tower lease agreements with the American Tower Corporation (ATC) across its four subsidiaries in Uganda, Kenya, Nigeria and Niger by 12 years. The extension of the tower lease agreements is expected to help Airtel Africa reduce the risks of network failures and increase the maximum amount of data (information) that can be transmitted over a network to effectively rollout the 5G network. The deal is also expected to help the company reduce its operating expenses by focusing on renewable energy solutions across a significant number of sites. © Copyright 2022 Nation Media Group. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Arab News
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Arab News
FIFA lift ban on Congo Brazzaville
JOHANNESBURG: A ban on Congo Brazzaville competing in international competitions has been lifted, a FIFA statement said on Thursday. For the latest updates, follow us @ArabNewsSport
BBC News
15-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Congo-Brazzaville cleared to return to international football
Fifa has lifted the suspension of Congo-Brazzaville from international football after several conditions were sanction was imposed in February because of third-party interference in the affairs of the country's football association (Fecofoot).At the time, Fifa said a "particularly serious situation" of undue influence constituted "a clear violation of Fecofoot's obligations" under the world governing body's led to the postponement of Congo's 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifiers against Tanzania and Zambia, which were scheduled to be held in conditions to lift the suspension included the return of full control of Fecofoot's headquarters and the association's other facilities to the Fecofoot executive is yet to be announced if the two suspended World Cup qualifiers will be final four games of the group campaign are scheduled to take place in September and October, with African play-offs then due to be played in November.
BBC News
08-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
African Parks: Charity linked to Prince Harry admits human rights abuses in Congo-Brazzaville
A major conservation charity linked to Prince Harry has admitted that human rights abuses were committed by its rangers in Congo-Brazzaville, following an independent review into allegations made by members of the Baka community against African Parks a report published last year by the British newspaper the Mail on Sunday, community members accused African Parks rangers of beating, waterboarding and raping locals to stop them from accessing their ancestral forests, which are now in a conservation despite commissioning an independent review into the actions of its rangers in Congo-Brazzaville, African Parks has not made the findings of the review public. Instead, it has published a statement acknowledging that human rights abuses occurred in the Odzala-Kokoua National Park, which it manages. It has excluded details of the abuse. The review, carried out by Omnia Strategy LLP, a London-based law firm headed by Cherie Blair, was handed directly to African Parks. In a statement, Omnia said it has been carrying out an independent investigation into the alleged abuse in Odzala-Kokoua since December statement did not include its findings and recommendations, which it said had been sent directly to African Parks. The BBC reached out to both Omnia and barristers from Doughty Street Chambers, which was involved in the investigation, to request their findings, but they declined to comment beyond their published BBC has also requested comment from Prince Parks said it had improved its safeguarding processes in the past five years both in the Odzala-Kokoua National Park and institutionally. Additional measures it has put in place include appointing an anthropologist to ensure the Baka communities are better supported, working with local human rights NGOs to support the local community and it will carry out an independent human rights impact charity Survival International, which lobbies for the rights of indigenous people, and raised the issue of the abuse of the Baka people with Prince Harry, criticised African Park's decision not to make the findings of the investigation public. Survival told the BBC "African Parks has committed to more reports, more staff and more guidelines – but such approaches have not prevented horrific abuses and violations of international human rights law in the decade or more that African Parks has known of these atrocities, and there is no reason to believe they will do so now".When the allegation were first made public last year, Survival said that African Parks had known about the alleged abuse of the Baka people since 2013. At the time, African Parks said it had reached out to Survival to find out more, but that the latter had refused to cooperate. Survival said it wished to protect its sources in the local community for fear of Parks, which is headquartered in Johannesburg, is arguably one of Africa's largest conservation charities. It manages 23 protected areas in 13 African countries, and is backed by powerful Harry sits on its board and has been involved with the charity since 2016. In 2023, after serving six years as president, he was made a member of the Board of Directors, the governing body of the its website, African Parks lists a number of high-profile donors including the European Union, Rob Walton, heir to the Walmart fortune, and Howard Buffett, son of Warren Buffet. In its 2023 annual report, the charity said its funders provided it with more than $500,000 (£375,000) per year. Why leaving his own charity in Lesotho will matter so much to Prince HarryHarry's emotional avalanche hits the Royal FamilySlicing veggies, baking cakes - will Meghan's rebrand work? Go to for more news from the African us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica
