Why Big OOH Companies Are Snapping Up African Billboard Operators
Alliance Media acquires Brandit Outdoor in Kampala, signaling consolidation in Africa's outdoor advertising market as multinational operators race to digitize.
Africa's outdoor advertising market is consolidating. Kampala's latest transaction confirms the trend.
Alliance Media, one of the world's largest out-of-home (OOH) advertising companies, has completed the purchase of Brandit Outdoor, a Kampala-based billboard operator. The deal adds 73 large-format billboard faces across central Kampala to Alliance Media's existing Ugandan network. Financial terms were not disclosed.
What the Acquisition Covers
Brandit Outdoor was founded in February 2009 by Abdi Liban Omar and Omar Amaya Liban. For 17 years, the company operated independently as a large-format billboard provider in Uganda's capital. Those sites now pass to a company that controls more than 25,000 advertising locations across 40-plus countries.
The deal is Alliance Media's second significant expansion in Uganda since it first entered the market in 1999. Its existing Kampala network of digital billboards already reaches more than two million people per day at traffic intersections near Lugogo, Wandegeya, City Square, and Golf Course. The Brandit acquisition extends coverage across commercial districts not served by those existing sites.
"The combination of the Brandit inventory with our existing network gives us broader coverage across Kampala's commercial and high-traffic locations," said Cliff Mbage, General Manager of Alliance Media Uganda. "Brandit built a credible large-format business and we intend to build on that foundation."
Abdi Liban Omar, co-founder of Brandit, said scale and digitization were driving factors in the sale. "Scale, digital conversion, and integrated regional campaigns are increasingly what advertisers are asking for, and Alliance Media is well positioned to take our Kampala inventory forward into that next phase."
The Market Context Driving Consolidation
International OOH operators are acquiring independent billboard companies ahead of digital conversion, as premium roadside and transit sites in major cities are finite. The Middle East and Africa digital OOH market was worth US$1.2 billion in 2024 and is forecast to grow at 12.5% per year through 2033, reaching approximately US$2.9 billion by 2029. Traditional billboards converted to digital LED screens can run multiple ads per hour and support programmatic buying.
Mission MediaUganda represents a significant growth market for this strategy. The country has a population of 46 million (more than half under 18), GDP growth above 6%, and a Kampala daytime population of 2.5 million. Digital advertising in Uganda is projected to reach US$100 million annually by 2028.
The East Africa Consolidation Pattern
Alliance Media's East Africa network already spans six markets: Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, and Ethiopia. Multinational brands seeking to run campaigns across multiple East African markets increasingly require a single regional partner. Alliance Media's relationships with global agency networks, including Dentsu, position it to fulfill that role.
The pattern is comparable to consolidation that occurred in Southeast Asia, where companies including JCDecaux, Clear Channel, and Asiaray absorbed independent operators in Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam to build unified cross-market OOH inventory.
Transaction Details Remain Limited
The deal announcement did not disclose financial terms, a timeline for digitizing the 73 acquired billboard faces, or the status of Brandit's existing client relationships and staff.
Mission Media
Africa recorded 424 M&A deals in 2024, with total deal value rising 32% year-on-year to US$14.74 billion. Deal volume fell 11%, indicating fewer transactions accounting for larger strategic moves.
Want to reach thousands of marketing and comms professionals across Asia?
Get your brand in front of industry decision-makers.
Partner with Mission Media →
