The partnership will develop and scale data infrastructure opportunities in South Africa and Nigeria through Africa Data Hub Holding Limited
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Redação Portal ERP
Sep 19, 2026
T|Fonte:18px
3min read
MTN Group’s digital infrastructure business, MTN Digital Infrastructure, has entered into a partnership with a UAE-based data centre investment platform to develop digital infrastructure platforms for cloud, enterprise and AI services in Africa.
The partnership will operate through Africa Data Hub Holding Limited, a platform that will be used to develop and scale future digital infrastructure projects across selected African markets. The initial focus will be South Africa and Nigeria.
MTN said the agreement brings together its African infrastructure assets and market presence with the UAE platform’s experience in data centre investment, development and operations. The parties will target infrastructure projects linked to demand for cloud computing, enterprise services and AI workloads.
Bayobab, MTN’s digital connectivity business and a shareholder in the partnership, will provide open access connectivity and go to market support through its pan African network. The UAE based investment platform was founded by Tarek Al Ashram, who has experience as a data centre developer, operator and investor across the Middle East.
“Africa’s digital economy is entering a new era, driven by rapid advances in artificial intelligence, cloud adoption and digital innovation. Realising this opportunity requires more than connectivity. It requires the infrastructure platforms that will power the next generation of digital services, businesses and innovation,” said Mazen Mroué, CEO of MTN Group Digital Infrastructure. “This partnership is a step forward in the execution of our digital infrastructure strategy and demonstrates the power of collaboration. Together, we are bringing investment, infrastructure expertise, connectivity and market access into a single platform capable of supporting hyperscalers, cloud providers, enterprises and technology innovators across Africa.”
The UAE based platform brings experience from data centre projects in the Middle East The partnership will combine that experience with MTN’s presence across African markets as the new holding company develops its portfolio
“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. 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”, Mr. Tarek Al Ashram said. “We see significant potential to bring our experience in developing and operating large-scale data centre platforms to African markets, and Africa Data Hub Holding Limited provides the right platform through which to invest in and help shape that growth. Combining this experience with MTN’s extensive African footprint and deep understanding of its markets gives us a strong foundation from which to build and scale the platform across the continent.”
The partnership is part of MTN Digital Infrastructure’s Ambition 2030 strategy and is focused on expanding infrastructure capacity for digital services across Africa.
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