Airtel Africa Group Chief Executive Officer Olusegun Ogunsanya has reaffirmed his company’s commitment to continue investing in Malawi.
Ogunsanya, who arrived in Malawi on Wednesday morning, was speaking at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe after an audience with President Lazarus Chakwera.
He said the company plans to spend between $20 million and $25 million this year.
“Of course, there is a challenge with the availability of forex. Malawi, like many other countries in Africa, is going through some challenges in terms of inflation, devaluation and availability of US dollars.
“But we are a long-term player. We are not here for the short term. We are here for the long term. We continue to plan for the investment. Hopefully, we will find foreign exchange to pay for the investment because the equipment is coming from outside this country and we have hard currency to pay for them,” Ogunsanya said.
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He was quick to note that he has confidence in local staff that the firm will find ways of paying for the capital investment that the firm needs to spread its network.
Ogunsanya described Malawi as one of the best performing markets for the Airtel Group.
“The reason I came to Malawi is to thank His Excellency for the very conducive environment for telcos for us to thrive and for us to succeed. Malawi is one of our best operations in Africa. As you know, we are operating in 14 countries. In East Africa, Central Africa, West Africa, and Malawi is one of our thriving operations.
“And I just came to say a big thank you to all of my colleagues in Malawi for what they have done in the last couple of years and what they continue to do. I am proud of the team in Malawi. And I must commend all our customers in Malawi. I salute everyone in this country,” Ogunsanya said.
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He disclosed that the company will be rolling out a 5G network in the near future.
Ogunsanya has also pledged his support towards Malawi’s digitalisation agenda as the country embarks on a journey towards 2063.
On his part, Chakwera hailed Airtel for the investments it has been making in the country.
Chakwera said the firm is creating many jobs for Malawians, in addition to supporting the country’s digitisation drive.
