Bharti Airtel Plans $300m Investment in Nigeria in 12 Months

 Bharti Airtel that recently completed the acquisition of Zain Africa plans to invest $300 million in the first year of its operation in the country to grow the network.
Mr. Manoj Kohli, chief executive officer, (International) and Joint managing director, Bharti Airtel, said the amount is part of its proposed $600 million investment in three years. He reiterated the company’s long term commitment to the growth of the telecommunications in Nigeria. Bharti Airtel is committed to offering affordable services, deep network coverage and distribution backed by a superior brand experience to customers.
 “We are very delighted to be in Nigeria and at the outset like to express our deep gratitude and thank the government of Nigeria for their overwhelming support. We want to be a partner in Nigeria’s growth and will work with the government to take telecom networks deep into all corners of the country to touch the common man.
We are here for the long run and want to be a partner in the growth story of Nigeria. We believe we have inherited a very well run operations in Nigeria and look forward to working with our team of highly talented professionals and take these operations from strength to strength.”
He also said that it plans to bring its ecosystem of global partners to Nigeria and this will result in additional employment opportunities in the country. The Company also has plans to introduce its Corporate Social Responsibility program in Nigeria] under which it will set up schools that offer free quality education to underprivileged children in rural areas.      
Rajan Swaroop, chief executive officer, Zain Nigeria said: “In Nigeria we will continue to build on the momentum and we are committed to taking the telecommunications industry to new heights. Going forward, it will be our endeavour to raise the bar and bring best in class service, seamless network experience and introduce innovative products and services for our customers in Nigeria.”
The countries in which Bharti has acquired the operations are - Burkina Faso, Chad, Congo Brazzaville, Democratic Nigeria, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia.  Zain is the market leader in 10 of the 15 countries and second in 4 countries.
With the successful completion of Zain’s acquisition Bharti Airtel is now the fifth largest mobile company in the world with over 185 million customers across its business units.
Bharti Airtel Limited is a leading global telecommunications company with operations in 18 countries across Asia and Africa.  The company offers mobile voice & data services, fixed line, high speed broadband, IPTV, DTH, turnkey telecom solutions for enterprises and national & international long distance services to carriers. Bharti Airtel has been ranked among the six best performing technology companies in the world by Business Week.  Bharti Airtel had over 185 million customers across its operations at the end of May 2010.