Africa telecoms giant MTN is holding talks with US and European firms about building data centers on the continent, a move that could drive the rollout of AI-linked services.
MTN’s CEO Ralph Mupita told Bloomberg that the Johannesburg-headquartered company plans to build facilities and secure tenants, while renting out capacity to other businesses and African governments.
Africa has fallen behind wealthier regions in the global rush to build the digital infrastructure required for AI, housing less than 1% of the world’s AI data center capacity. Most of Africa’s data centers are concentrated in South Africa, the continent’s largest economy.
MTN Group — Africa’s biggest telecoms company by customers and assets — would directly fund part of the investment required, and wants to strike deals with co-investors, companies specializing in AI infrastructure, and hyperscalers.
“We are now in the commercial negotiation phase and shortlisting partners who can help us scale,” Mupita said, adding that the company aimed to “conclude these partnerships within the year.” He declined to provide names of the potential partners or the financial details.