Abdeslam Ahizoune, Maroc Telecom’s chief executive, has posed the possibility of managing Etisalat’s other African operations if the latter’s takeover is completed in September.
Speaking to reporters after announcing Maroc Telecom’s first half of 2013 results, Ahizoune was upbeat about the potential future relationship with Etisalat, which already has six networks in Africa, including a large presence in Egypt and Nigeria.
HumanIPO reported on Monday United Arab Emirates-based Etisalat was in exclusive talks with Vivendi over purchasing their 53 per cent stake for around US$5.54 billion.
Ahizoune was speaking yesterday and Reuters reported him as saying: “We have a great African complementarity with our new shareholders, and Maroc Telecom could manage Etisalat’s African subsidiaries.”
Maroc Telecom already has operations in five African countries. Its Moroccan operation was the only one to see a revenue drop in the first half of 2013, falling by 8.1 per cent.
Revenue grew by 9.9 per cent in Gabon, 10.3 per cent in Mali, 6.5 per cent in Burkina Faso and 10.5 per cent in Mauritania.
Maroc’s customer based in Morocco grew by 12.5 per cent to 35 million customers, despite its revenue fall, which Ahizoune put down to a slowdown in consumption and aggressive consumption.
Across the group, Maroc Telecom’s H1 profit was up 12.6 per cent to US$412 million.
The results appear to show Maroc Telecom’s restructuring plan, which began last year, working after a 14 per cent reduction is staff, which amounted to 1,404 job losses.
In regards to future plans, Ahizoune added: “It is the time to renew our infrastructures and get ready for the fourth generation technology.”
