Altron subsidiary Bytes Technology Group has landed an IT services contract with banking group Absa worth R400m.

Bytes division Bytes Managed Solutions won the deal to provide services to Absa and parent Barclays across the territories in Africa where the financial services giant operates.

The contract involves supporting more than 63 000 users in South Africa and elsewhere on the continent. South Africa makes up the bulk of the deal, with Bytes expected to support 46 000 users across 1 351 branches and campus sites.

“Following on from phase one in South Africa, the service transition plan will expand to include 16 countries on the continent, including Botswana, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe,” Bytes says in a statement.

Bytes CEO Rob Abraham says winning the Absa contract is in line with its strategy of following its South African clients into the rest of the continent and to “establish a sound infrastructure on the continent for further growth”.

Minority shareholders in Bytes, which used to be listed on the JSE, were bought out by Altron in 2007 and the company’s listing terminated. Altron’s shares were unchanged in midmorning trade on Tuesday. — (c) 2013 NewsCentral Media