MTN Partners With UAE Investor to Build 150MW AI Data Centers Across Africa

MTN Group is taking a massive step toward shaping the computing infrastructure of the African continent. The telecommunications company officially partnered with Tarek Al Ashram, a prominent investor from the United Arab Emirates and founder of Gulf Data Hub. Together, they plan to build artificial intelligence data centers capable of generating 150 megawatts of power. This joint venture aims to capture a massive portion of the rapidly expanding African technology sector, which experts project will grow from $4.5B in 2025 to $16.5B by 2030.

The two parties formed a new business entity named Africa Data Hub Holding Limited to manage the project. According to MTN Chief Executive Officer Ralph Mupita, the partnership will initially focus on South Africa and Nigeria during its first phase. Mupita noted that the organization chose a minority stake structure for this specific project, preferring to work alongside established third party developers who possess a long history of building large computing facilities. Building infrastructure at this scale could cost anywhere between $3B and $6B over the coming years.

Addressing the African Compute Shortage

Currently, the continent houses over 210 traditional data centers. While these existing facilities successfully manage basic website hosting and database storage, they lack the specialized architecture required for intense machine learning tasks. Africa holds less than 1 percent of the global artificial intelligence computing capacity, featuring only about 19 dedicated facilities across seven different nations. This shortage forces many local developers to rely on expensive overseas servers.

The proposed 150-megawatt capacity represents a massive upgrade for the region. Modern processing requires immense amounts of electricity and highly specialized cooling systems. By bringing this hardware closer to home, the partnership intends to give local technology companies, researchers, and government agencies a faster and more secure way to train their own computing models. The joint venture will also allow local governments to keep sensitive citizen records securely within their own borders rather than outsourcing storage to foreign continents.

Bayobab and Network Integration

A major component of this development strategy involves Bayobab, the digital connectivity subsidiary owned by MTN. Bayobab will supply the necessary open access network connections to link these new processing facilities together across multiple borders. Providing seamless communication between the servers ensures that enterprise clients experience minimal lag times when running complex software applications.

For Al Ashram, the African market presents a familiar opportunity. He explained that the continent is currently experiencing a technological expansion very similar to what occurred across the Middle East over the past decade. This expansion is heavily fueled by younger populations demanding faster digital services and better mobile applications. The partnership gives the UAE investor a direct pathway into a previously untapped region, while giving the telecommunications provider access to much needed private capital.

If you want to read more about how the telecommunications giant is expanding its regional services beyond simple voice calls, you can review our coverage detailing how MTN plans a massive expansion targeting thirty million mobile money users in Nigeria.

Strategic Moves for 2030

This data center announcement aligns directly with the broader corporate strategy set by the telecom operator. The company wants to diversify its revenue streams away from traditional cellular plans by building the actual physical plumbing that powers the modern internet. Part of this plan involves acquiring greater control over its underlying physical assets, including ongoing efforts to repurchase cellular tower stakes.

The race to construct specialized processing facilities is heating up globally as software makers demand more power. To see how other specialized companies are securing funds to build similar enterprise tools, check out how Verascient secured funding for enterprise artificial intelligence infrastructure.

By securing land, obtaining permits, and negotiating power agreements early, the joint venture hopes to establish itself as the premier hosting destination for global technology giants looking to enter the African market. Securing reliable electricity will likely stand as the toughest obstacle, forcing the developers to explore alternative power agreements and massive battery storage systems. If the team can overcome these local hurdles, the new facilities will fundamentally change how software is developed and deployed across the continent over the next decade.

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