Orange has sold its Uganda operation as part of a wider review that is yielding disposals in a number of its international markets.

The 95 per cent stake in Orange Uganda was sold to Africell Holding for an undisclosed sum.

The French group is engaged in what it terms an “asset portfolio optimisation strategy” which has already led to the sale of its Orange Dominicana subsidiary to Altice for €1.05 billion earlier this year.

Orange’s 70 per cent stake in Telkom Kenya is also thought be on the block for any interested parties.

Orange Uganda had 618,000 mobile connections at end-December 2013, according to GSMA Intelligence figures.

However, building the Ugandan operation into a threat to dominant players including market leader MTN, which has 8.8 million connections, will be a major task for Africell.

Compared to such giants, Africell is a small-scale player which owns networks in Gambia, Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Orange reasserted that, despite the sale, the Africa and Middle East remain strategic priorities.

The Ugandan sale is subject to approval from the relevant authorities.