- Washington “follows with interest” Morocco’s openness onto Africa (John Kerry)Posted 11 years ago
- The trial of South African Paralympic champion Oscar Pistorius opened in Pretoria on Monday.Posted 11 years ago
- USA welcomes efforts of King Mohammed VI in MaliPosted 11 years ago
- Egypt’s population reaches 94 millionPosted 11 years ago
- Mugabe celebrates his 90thPosted 11 years ago
- Moroccan Monarch to Build a Perinatal Clinic in BamakoPosted 11 years ago
- King Mohammed VI handed a donation of bovine semen for the benefit of Malian breeders.Posted 11 years ago
- Moroccan King’s strategic tour to Africa: Strengthening the will of pan African Solidarity and stimulating the south-south cooperation mechanisms over the continentPosted 12 years ago
- Senior al-Qaida leader killed in AlgeriaPosted 12 years ago
- Libya: The trial of former Prime Minister al-Baghdadi AliPosted 12 years ago
Maroc Telecom wishes to expand its African network
Morocco’s leading telecom company, Maroc Telecom, is believed to be in a good position for the bid on Benin’s historical telecom company, Benin Telecom, according to French newspaper “La Lettre Méditerrannée”. Maroc Telecom is opposed to French giant Orange for the bid on Benin Telecom, but observers believe that because a presidential election is to take place next spring in Benin, the actual government won’t choose the winner of the bid.
In fact, Benin authorities fear the reaction of the employee’s union amongst Benin Telecom, who warned that it would “react strongly” to any downsize plan. Telecom experts, however, believe that a restructuration of Benin Telecom would have social consequences for the company has way too many employees, making it impossible to manage efficiently. Maroc Telecom -which has French giant operator Vivendi as one of its major shareholders-has grown rapidly in African markets in less than a decade. The first move of Maroc Telecom was in Mauritania, where it acquired 51% of Mauritel in 2001. After a five-year break where Maroc Telecom focused on developing the Moroccan market by introducing innovative services and broadband internet services, the Kingdom’s Telecom company went on to Burkina Faso, where it acquired 51% of Onatel in December 2006. A few months later, it bought the majority of stakes in Gabonese operator Gabon Telecom. In March 2009, Maroc Telecom signed an agreement with the Malian government for a historical amount of more than 250 million Euros, in order to become the major stakeholder of Sotelma. Chaired by Abdeslam Ahizoune, the former telecommunications secretary of the late King Hassan II, Maroc Telecom has become an African success story and is said to be eyeing other markets outside the traditional French speaking African countries, which has strong political ties with Morocco.