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MTN Digital Infrastructure has formed a partnership with Dubai-based investor Tarek Al Ashram through the new entity Africa Data Hub Holding Limited to accelerate development of AI-ready data centres across Africa. The venture combines MTN’s extensive network footprint, market knowledge and existing assets with Al Ashram’s expertise in building and operating large-scale facilities gained across the Middle East. MTN’s pan-African digital connectivity business Bayobab will serve as a shareholder and provide open-access fibre infrastructure along with go-to-market support. The initial phase targets 150 megawatts of capacity focused on South Africa and Nigeria according to details MTN disclosed following its half-year results.
MTN Chief Executive Ralph Mupita described the strategy at a recent event. “The approach that we are taking on the building of our AI business is to partner with third parties, and the entity that we are partnering with has built data centers in the UAE,” he said. “We are taking a phased approach and will start building out 150 megawatts of AI data center capacity.” MTN Digital Infrastructure Chief Executive Mazen Mroué highlighted the broader shift. “Africa’s digital economy is entering a new era, driven by rapid advances in artificial intelligence, cloud adoption and digital innovation,” Mroué stated.
Tarek Al Ashram, participating through his private investment firm and known as founder of the Gulf Data Hub platform, outlined the opportunity. “Over the past years, we have seen firsthand how the development of world-class data centre infrastructure can support the rapid growth of cloud, digital services and AI across the Middle East,” Al Ashram said. “Africa now presents a similarly compelling opportunity, driven by strong underlying demand, rapidly expanding digital economies and an increasing need for resilient and scalable infrastructure.” The partnership aligns with MTN’s Ambition 2030 strategy that seeks to expand beyond traditional telecoms into digital infrastructure.
MTN launched its dedicated digital infrastructure unit in January 2025 to manage fibre, tower and data centre assets as the group repositions for rising enterprise and AI demand. The company already operates more than a dozen data centres across its footprint in 16 African markets and has identified digital infrastructure as central to future revenue diversification. Africa Data Hub Holding Limited will act as the primary platform for identifying and scaling additional projects beyond the first two markets as demand evolves.
A statement from financial adviser FTI Capital Advisors noted the scale of the infrastructure gap. Africa accounts for nearly one-fifth of the world’s population but less than 1 percent of global data centre capacity. South Africa’s data centre market, the continent’s largest, stood at $670 million in 2026 and is forecast to reach $1.44 billion by 2031 according to Mordor Intelligence analysis of commercial supply-chain and technology adoption trends. The joint venture aims to address power-efficient, high-density facilities that can support localised AI processing and cloud services.
Al Ashram brings a track record that includes co-founding the KKR-backed Gulf Data Hub in the UAE where similar platforms have supported digital growth. The African initiative will integrate data centre development with MTN’s established landing stations and transport networks to create combined compute and connectivity layers in key hubs. MTN Group reported the partnership in its interim results for the period ended June 2026 before the partner’s identity was confirmed in subsequent announcements.
