Bharti Airtel, a leading telecom services provider that recently acquired zain's Africa operations, has announced that it would invest USD 10 million in Seychelles.

This is coming after the Board of Directors approved the acquisition of 100 % of the leading telecom operator in the country, Telecom Seychelles Limited, for an enterprise value of USD 62 million. During a meeting with the Vice President of Seychelles, Danny Faure, Bharti Airtel Africa Chief Executive Officer Mr. Manoj Kohli, said that the investment will be phased over the next three years.

Bharti Airtel will also participate in the Seychelles East Africa submarine cable (SEAS) project. This is a 2,000 km, USD $34 million submarine cable between Seychelles and Dar es Salaam, which will connect Seychelles to the world and the global economy.

Mr. Manoj Kohli said, "We will leverage our expertise and infrastructure to offer customized data solutions for our large enterprise and corporate clients, which will help them gain a unique competitive advantage." The acquisition of Telecom Seychelles has grown Bharti Airtel's African footprint to 16 countries and its overall presence to 19 countries.