Chinese firms are fast taking over Angola’s smart meter market, with no small help from President Joao Lourenco. On May 15, the head of state granted two contracts for the installation of 250,000 meters each to China’s ZTE and Huawei Technologies Co. The contracts are worth respectively $80 million and $119 million. Although heated trade relations between China and the United States have taken their toll on the two firms’ activities in North America and Europe, business is booming in Africa. They have moved into the meter market in Madagascar (AEI 791) and regularly supply their services to various national police forces. ZTE and Huawei were contracted to install a video surveillance system in Uganda (ION 1471) and a communication system in Kenya (ION 1369).
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