MTN Group Ltd., Africa’s largest wireless carrier, is in talks with U.S. and European firms to build data centers across the continent to power artificial intelligence services, CEO Ralph Mupita said.
The Johannesburg-based company will partly fund the rollout and is seeking partners, including hyperscalers such as Microsoft, to co-invest and scale facilities. MTN has begun work on a $240 million data center in Nigeria and expects to finalize partnerships this year.
Mupita said the new business unit, Genova, will lease AI computing capacity to companies and governments, forming part of MTN’s push to monetize infrastructure and grow new revenue streams.
Africa currently hosts less than 1% of global AI data center capacity, concentrated largely in South Africa. Rival projects include a geothermal-powered facility in Kenya by Microsoft and G42, and Nigerian expansion plans by Airtel’s Nxtra.
MTN is also exploring ways to secure reliable power for its facilities in countries with weak electricity infrastructure.
