30/05/2026
The revival of doomed SierraTel by Africell's 10 years partnership deal to kickstart the 100% state-owned "sleeping" telecoms giant from slumber..... verbatim
Africell has not fully taken over or bought Sierratel; it has rather formed a 10-year strategic partnership to revive the struggling state-owned operator.
The Government of Sierra Leone and Africell launched this collaboration at the Miatta Conference Centre.
Key details include:
MVNO Model: Sierratel operates as a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO), meaning it delivers voice, data, and mobile money services using Africell’s network infrastructure while maintaining its own brand identity.
Ownership: The partnership is not a privatization. Sierratel remains entirely state-owned, with the government keeping ownership of all underlying assets.
Service Restoration: This arrangement enables Sierratel to bypass the massive costs of rebuilding obsolete infrastructure, utilizing Africell's towers and fiber-optic networks to provide services from day one.
Staff Resolution: As part of the transition, an initial advance payment was secured to begin addressing longstanding staff liabilities and salary concerns within Sierratel.
