Zimbabwean billionaire and founder of Cassava Technologies, Strive Masiyiwa, who just announced a partnership with Nvidia to launch Project Mufungi, Africa’s first AI factory, has said the idea was inspired by Nigeria’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, and former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Masiyiwa shared this in a lengthy Facebook post on Monday, detailing how a conversation with Dangote and Obasanjo seven years ago in Singapore pushed him to take on ambitious projects that would transform Africa’s technological landscape.
“I will never forget the day seven years ago when I had coffee with my friend Aliko Dangote and our ‘Baba’ [as we call former President Obasanjo] at an event in Singapore,” Masiyiwa recalled. “Baba challenged us both that day to ‘do bigger things for Africa… stuff you guys can now do!’”
According to Masiyiwa, Dangote shared his vision to build a refinery, an ambitious project that has since materialized at a cost of $19 billion. At the time, Masiyiwa had already been working on building the Liquid continental fiber network to ensure no African was left behind in the digital revolution, but the conversation made him feel compelled to do even more.
The turning point came when he attended a panel discussion where multiple speakers claimed Africa would remain a mere consumer of AI because the cost of computing power was beyond the continent’s reach.
“Sitting there, I thought to myself, ‘If Aliko can raise $19 billion, surely I should be able to raise a few billion dollars to get AI Compute started in Africa. After all, we already have most of the key components right here in our own companies!’”
Masiyiwa revealed that when he later mentioned his idea to Dangote and their mutual friend, Prof Benedict Oramah, the President of Afreximbank, they both encouraged him to pursue it.
“When I mentioned this to Aliko the next time we met, this time together with our friend Prof Oramah of Afreximbank, they were egging me on to do it.
My brother, you got this. It’s your field now. If you can’t do it, then who?’ Aliko joked before adding: ‘Don’t forget Nigeria!
Prof’ [as we call Prof Oramah] as usual just said, ‘We are always there for you as Afreximbank, even though you will also have to go global for such funding.’ That’s how he has spoken to me for over 30 years now,” Masiyiwa said.
Some context
Now, in partnership with Nvidia, Masiyiwa’s Cassava Technologies is launching “Project Mufungi,” an initiative that will establish high-performance AI computing infrastructure across Africa.
- The first rollout, expected by June 2025, will begin in South Africa, with expansion plans for Egypt, Kenya, Morocco, and Nigeria. The AI factory will equip African businesses, researchers, and startups with the computing power to develop homegrown AI models instead of relying on foreign infrastructure.
“Our AI factory provides the infrastructure for this innovation to scale, empowering African businesses, startups, and researchers with access to cutting-edge AI infrastructure to turn their bold ideas into real-world breakthroughs. And now they don’t have to look beyond Africa to get it,” Masiyiwa said.
What to know
The move also comes amid increasing interest in Africa’s digital infrastructure from global technology firms.
- Last year, Microsoft and G42, the United Arab Emirates’ top AI firm, expressed interest in building a geothermal-powered data center in Kenya for $1 billion.
- This is part of a multi-year plan to boost cloud-computing capacity in East Africa.
- By establishing an AI factory within Africa, Cassava Technologies is positioning the continent at the forefront of AI-driven innovation. Masiyiwa believes that just as Africa leapfrogged traditional banking models with mobile money, it now has an opportunity to lead in AI adoption by creating local capacity for AI training, computing, and deployment.
With backing from partners like Nvidia and Afreximbank, the project is expected to catalyze further investments in Africa’s digital economy, helping to close the AI divide between the continent and the rest of the world.
