By Issa Sikiti da Silva
Alcatel-Lucent will in the near future open a supervision centre for networks management in Dakar, the company MD Michel Combes told a press briefing in the Senegalese capital city.
Combes said his company had chosen Senegal to be the hub of West and Central Africa in the sector of digital data and network management.
Experts believe the centre could serve, among others, as a technical support site for telecom companies operating in the region which may seek Alcatel-Lucent’s help and expertise in time of need.
It is believed that Dakar will serve as a platform for the telecoms giant’s future investments in these two regions.
Alcatel-Lucent wants to use Senegal as a gateway to expand into Africa, Combes said, hailing the country’s significant internet and mobile rate.
He also took advantage of his visit to Senegal to hold talks with the country’s political and telecom authorities and operators to discuss the company’s future projects in this West African nation of 13 million people.
Alcatel-Lucent, which was established in 2006 from a merger of Alcatel and Lucent Technologies, has been operating for over two decades in Senegal and employs over 80 people.
The company, which is headquartered in the French city of Boulogne-Billancourt, had a turnover of 13.2 billion euros in 2014.
Alcatel-Lucent, which is seen as one of the world’s leaders in innovation, is listed in the Top 100 most innovative companies by Thomson Reuters.
It was named the industry group leader in the field of technology hardware and equipment by the Dow Jones Sustainability 2014 Indexes.
