Helios manages 2,700+ towers in the African country: this latest expansion is with the ongoing support of the country’s Agence Nationale pour la Promotion des Investissements
Helios Towers is to invest about $110m in the deployment of new tower sites in urban and rural areas, plus power supplies, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in 2026. Helios operates shared infrastructure in markets across Africa and the Middle East, and already manages 2,712 towers in the African country.
The operator says the investment comes “at a time of rapidly growing demand for connectivity in the DRC” and possible through an “investment agreement” with Agence Nationale pour la Promotion des Investissements (ANAPI). This is the government body responsible for promoting investment and improving the DRC’s business climate in the country.
Helios says the agreement “creates a favourable framework for investment and network expansion that will boost competitiveness and enable quicker construction”.
Under the agreement Helios’ expansion will cover all the country’s 23 provinces from Kinshasa to Upper Katanga, Kongo Central, Maniema, Ituri, Kasai Central, Eastern Kasai, Kwilu, Mai-Ndombe, Mongala, North Kivu, North Ubangi, Sankuru, South Kivu, Lualaba, Tanganyika, Tshopo, Ecuador, Upper Uélé, South Ubangi, Upper Lomami and Kasai.
ANAPI says it has supported Helios Towers’ projects in the DRC since 2011 with investment of more than $200 million in phases. Its Director General, Rachel Pungu Luamba (pictured), said that apart from the telecoms infrastructure gains, this latest expansion project will create about 100 jobs directly and thousands of indirect jobs for young Congolese.
“This investment illustrates the renewed confidence of international partners in the economic potential of the DRC, as well as the effectiveness of the reforms undertaken to improve the business climate,” she said at a press event in Kinshasa announcing the investment plan.
She added that the Helios investment also serves the government’s National Digital Plan “Horizon 2025” and the “DRC Digital Nation 2030” vision, designed to make digitalisation a pillar of economic and social development.
