(Telecompaper) Wananchi Group, owners of the Zuku Fibre, Zuku pay TV and Simbanet business services brands, has announced the closure of a USD 130 million financing. It will be used to consolidate its market leadership in East Africa and to extend services across East and Southern Africa. The funding was co-led by existing Wananchi shareholders including Altice, Liberty Global, Emerging Capital Partners and ATMT, and new investors, Helios Investment Partners. Group vice chairman Richard Bell said it will continue the deployment of FTTH networks in more cities in East Africa and extend business services networks and product offerings across a wide variety of geographies and market segments.