MSI Cellular (MSI), Africa's leading telecoms company, with Celtel branded GSM operations throughout the continent, has won the inaugural SMO award for Foreign Direct Investment. The award, presented by the SMO Foundation for Business and Society, the Dutch industrial association, was judged by a panel of experts from the Dutch Government, Development Agencies and the private sector, including ABN AMRO and KPMG.
MSI Cellular has successfully invested over 450 million Euros over the past five years in Africa to build quality communications networks. The Company currently operates in thirteen countries on the continent and already serves over 1.5 million mobile customers, a number that has been growing at a rate of 75% per annum.
Accepting the award at an event in Amsterdam, Marten Pieters, CEO of MSI Cellular, said:
"It is very gratifying for MSI to be to be recognised the best Dutch foreign investment company for 2003. MSI operates in very complex business environments and has successfully met the SMO foundation requirements of working for "profit, people and planet".
"This award is a tribute to MSI's 5,000 employees, 99% of whom work in Africa. It is also a reflection of the high standards of corporate governance and healthy work ethic that we maintain."
Editors Notes:
MSI Cellular has been licensed by 12 Governments in Africa, representing more than one-third of the population of the African continent, to operate GSM cellular networks, which are mainly branded "Celtel". MSI has operations in Uganda, Zambia, Malawi, the Republic of Congo ("Congo Brazzaville"), Gabon, Sierra Leone, Chad, Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of Congo ("Congo Kinshasa"), Sudan and Niger. In Tanzania, MSI has a 35% equity stake and management control of Tanzania Telecommunications Company Limited (TTCL). TTCL launched the Celtel Tanzania cellular network as an independent subsidiary company. In Egypt, MSI is a founding shareholder and minority partner in Vodafone Egypt.
Shareholders in MSI include:
* FMO, the Dutch development institution
* CDC Capital Partners, a leading risk capital investor in emerging markets, with over US$1.5 billion invested in some 50 emerging countries.
* IFC (International Finance Corporation) the private sector arm of the World Bank and the largest source of private equity for developing countries.
* AIG Infrastructure Fund sponsored by AIG and managed by EMP, the largest private equity infrastructure manager in emerging markets with nearly US$5 billion under management.
* Zephyr Asset Management, the US based emerging market fund.
* Citigroup, the global financial services group.
* Bessemer Venture Partners, the investment arm of one of the oldest funds in the USA.
* Palio, the Swiss technology investment company.
* DEG, the German development institution.
* Old Mutual Asset Management in South Africa.
* ALBA (Spain).
* Fonditel (Spain: Telefonica Pension Fund).
* Communications Venture Partners (CVP: USA).
* AMB (South Africa).
* ING (Netherlands).
Visit MSI Cellular's website on www.msi-cellular.com.
SMO Foundation for Business and Society Awards
The Business and Society Foundation (SMO) was founded in the Netherlands 1968 with support from the private sector to advocate the market-based economy. Presently SMO is a centre for knowledge for trade and industry and plays a pivotal role on meso-level for governmental organisations and within industrial circles.
The SMO Foundation Awards are an annual event and took place this year at the Royal Tropical Institute in Amsterdam. The event was attended by around 200 business organizations as well as the Committee for Economic Development of Australia, the China Institute for Reform and Development and the German Institute of Economics. Government officials attending included the Minister for NEPAD of Senegal, the Minister for International Cooperation of the Netherlands and the Dutch Ambassador to OECD.
