Africa’s largest wireless carrier, MTN Group Ltd, is in advanced negotiations with US and European firms to build data centres across the continent to power artificial intelligence services.
The Johannesburg-based company will co-finance the projects while also bringing in global partners to expand AI-ready infrastructure in Africa, Chief Executive Officer Ralph Mupita said in an interview.
The plan involves constructing facilities, attracting tenants to provide AI compute, and then renting out capacity to businesses and governments. MTN is also considering installing its own hardware in some of the centres, Bloomberg reported.
The company has already broken ground on its first 9MW data centre in Nigeria, a project valued at around $240 million. “We are now in the commercial negotiation phase and shortlisting partners who can help us scale,” said Mupita. “Our goal is to conclude these partnerships within the year.”
Don’t Miss This:
Museveni Urges MTN To Deepen Investment In Uganda
MTN’s AI data centre business, branded Genova, will be central to its push to monetise infrastructure, open platforms to third parties, and diversify earnings, Mupita explained. Partners coming onboard will be expected to follow MTN into its 16 African markets, targeting countries where AI demand is rising and the group already has a strong presence.
Despite Africa’s youthful and fast-growing population, the continent lags in the global race to build AI computing infrastructure, accounting for less than 1% of worldwide AI data centre capacity. Much of Africa’s existing computing power is concentrated in South Africa, where hyperscalers such as Microsoft, Alibaba, and Amazon already operate cloud services.
Momentum, however, is beginning to spread beyond South Africa. Microsoft and Abu Dhabi–based G42 have announced a geothermal-powered data centre in Kenya, while Indian telecoms billionaire Sunil Mittal is preparing to expand Nigeria’s AI capacity through Airtel Africa and its Nxtra subsidiary.
Telecom operators globally are investing heavily in data centres to meet surging demand from consumers and enterprises, while creating new revenue streams from hyperscalers. MTN, through Genova, is positioning itself to capture this opportunity.
Don’t Miss This:
CSCS Partners With MTN To Launch 7270# USSD Code For Seamless Investment Access
Image Credit: TechAfrica News
