Wananchi Group to invest Kshs 11.6bn in new expansion plan

Wananchi Group, owners of the Zuku Fiber, Zuku pay TV and Simbanet business services brands, today announced the closure of a KES 11.6bn (US$130 million) financing to fund its growth and expansion in East and Southern Africa.

Richard Bell, the Wananchi Group Vice Chairman. The new capital investment will be used to consolidate the group’s market leadership in East Africa and to extend services across East and Southern Africa.

 
“The new capital investment will be used to consolidate the group’s market leadership in East Africa and to extend our services across East and Southern Africa. We will continue the deployment of fiber to the home networks in more cities in East Africa and extend our business services networks and product offerings across a wide variety of geographies and market segments. With our stronger balance sheet we will also invest in exciting new technologies and service platforms to improve the quality of our products and deliver a superior experience for our customers,” said Richard Bell, Vice Chairman of Wananchi.
The capital investment was co-led by existing Wananchi shareholders including Altice SA, Liberty Global, Emerging Capital Partners (“ECP”) and ATMT and new investors, Helios Investment Partners. 

“This is a very exciting time for Wananchi. We have grown tremendously over the six years since we founded the business. The significant size of this investment round is further proof that the markets have confidence in our business strategy and our performance to date. There is no better time than now to invest in African markets and the transformation of the African consumer experience, of which Wananchi is at the forefront in East Africa,” said Ali Mufuruki, Chairman of the Board of Wananchi.

The capital injection will enable the Wananchi Group to extend the coverage of its infrastructure and build upon its strong broadband-led triple play product offering, including direct to home (DTH) satellite products to more consumers across the greater Eastern Africa region and beyond.