Strive Masiyiwa, founder of Econet Wireless and Cassava Technologies, has launched a bold new initiative to establish Africa as a global player in artificial intelligence, following a landmark partnership with U.S.-based chipmaker NVIDIA.
The collaboration will bring advanced supercomputing infrastructure to the continent, marking a significant step forward in bridging Africa’s AI capacity gap.
The deal, signed in Palo Alto with NVIDIA co-founder and CEO Jensen Huang, will see the deployment of GPU-powered supercomputers in hyperscale data centres across five African countries. The project, named Project Mufungi and branded under Cassava Intelligence as a Service (CIaaS), aims to provide the computational backbone for AI innovation in Africa. The first cluster is expected to be operational by June 2025, with further installations set to follow within 18 months.
Masiyiwa, long recognized for building one of the continent’s most extensive fibre optic networks through Liquid Intelligent Technologies, described the project as a natural evolution of his vision to empower African entrepreneurs and institutions through digital infrastructure. Inspired by a conversation with Nigerian industrialist Aliko Dangote and former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, Masiyiwa said he was encouraged to think on a larger scale for Africa’s future.
“If Aliko can raise $19 billion to build a refinery,” Masiyiwa recalled, “surely I can raise a few billion to bring AI compute to Africa.”
With Project Mufungi, Masiyiwa is doing just that. The initiative is designed to give African innovators the ability to develop AI solutions that respond directly to the continent’s unique challenges, from healthcare and education to agriculture and climate resilience. The infrastructure will also prioritize the use of African data and local languages, ensuring the relevance and applicability of AI technologies.
The rollout is being led by a dedicated team at Cassava Technologies, 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. Early interest from AI startups in fields such as medical diagnostics and smart farming suggests the infrastructure could quickly become a catalyst for digital transformation across sectors.
The scale of Project Mufungi rivals that of Masiyiwa’s earlier ventures, notably the Liquid fibre network, which took more than two decades to complete. However, the AI initiative is expected to have a more immediate and transformative impact, particularly in enhancing Africa’s ability to build and own its technological future.
At its core, the partnership with NVIDIA reflects a shift in strategy—from being consumers of global technology to becoming co-creators. It also signals Africa’s readiness to compete in the AI space, not just through talent and ambition, but through the necessary infrastructure.
Encouraged by Obasanjo’s challenge to “do big, audacious things for Africa,” Masiyiwa is positioning Project Mufungi as a foundational leap forward. The deployment of AI infrastructure, he believes, will not only unlock new economic opportunities but will also ensure that Africa plays a central role in shaping the future of global technology.
