Strive Masiyiwa, a telecommunications mogul and the founder of Econet Wireless and Cassava Technologies, has always been driven by a vision to empower Africa and position the continent as a key player in global technology. The telecom mogul, widely recognized for building Liquid Intelligent Technologies’ expansive fibre optic network, has long been committed to ensuring Africa isn’t left behind in the digital revolution. Now, Masiyiwa is tackling one of the continent’s most pressing challenges: the lack of access to AI computing power.
After a pivotal conversation with Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote and former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, Masiyiwa was inspired to do more for Africa. “If Aliko can raise $19 billion to build a refinery,” Masiyiwa thought, “surely I can raise a few billion to bring AI compute to Africa,” he shared in a post.
In recent weeks, Masiyiwa’s vision took a major step forward. In Palo Alto, he signed a landmark partnership agreement with NVIDIA co-founder and CEO Jensen Huang. The agreement will see the installation of powerful GPU clusters in hyperscale data centres across five African countries, marking a significant milestone in Masiyiwa’s ambitious plan to build Africa’s first “AI Factory.”
The first cluster will be fully operational by June 2025, with additional clusters up and running within 18 months. The project, named “Project Mufungi” and branded as “Cassava Intelligence as a Service” (CIaaS), represents one of the largest investments in AI infrastructure on the continent. It’s a bold move that rivals the scale of Masiyiwa’s Liquid fibre network, which took over 20 years to complete.
The impact of this partnership goes beyond simply providing the necessary computational power for AI innovation. By harnessing NVIDIA’s cutting-edge technology, Masiyiwa hopes to empower African entrepreneurs and innovators to tackle challenges unique to the continent, from healthcare to agriculture, all while using African data and languages to shape AI solutions.
Masiyiwa’s team, including Group President and CEO Hardy Pemhiwa, Group COO and Chief AI Officer Ahmed El Beheiry, and Liquid C2 Cloud and Cybersecurity CEO Oswald Jumira, have been integral in bringing this vision to life. Their work is already attracting attention, with AI startups in fields such as medical solutions for nurses and AI-driven solutions for smallholder farmers expressing interest in leveraging the new infrastructure.
Reflecting on the early conversations that sparked this initiative, Masiyiwa recalls the influence of Dangote and Obasanjo. At a meeting in Singapore, Obasanjo encouraged both men to think bigger about Africa’s potential. “Don’t do small stuff anymore,” Obasanjo challenged them. “Do big, audacious things for Africa!”
Now, with Project Mufungi, Masiyiwa is doing just that, laying the groundwork for Africa to lead in AI and create a new wave of jobs and economic opportunities. This AI leap is set to shape Africa’s future by empowering the continent to become a hub of AI innovation, rather than just a consumer of foreign technology.
The partnership with NVIDIA marks the beginning of a new era for Africa’s tech landscape. The supercomputing power provided by the GPU clusters will give African startups the tools they need to develop solutions tailored to the continent’s unique challenges. With the power of AI, Masiyiwa and his team are setting the stage for Africa to take its place at the forefront of the global AI race.
With Project Mufungi, the continent is poised to lead the way, leveraging homegrown innovation to tackle some of the world’s most pressing problems.
