UAE business giant Al Ashram joins forces with Africa’s largest network provider to build AI data centers across the continent

MTN, Africa’s largest network provider, has entered a partnership with Dubai-based investor Tarek Al Ashram to develop large-scale AI data centre infrastructure across the continent. The newly formed Africa Data Hub Holding Ltd., backed by Al Ashram’s investment firm, will supply financing and operational know-how to build facilities in key markets including Nigeria and South Africa, with an initial phased build planned at 150 megawatts of AI data centre capacity to serve MTN’s internal compute needs and external cloud, enterprise and public-sector clients.

Direct quote

“We see significant potential to bring our experience in developing and operating large-scale data center platforms to African markets,” said Tarek Al Ashram, co-founder of the KKR‑backed Gulf Data Hub. He added that Africa Data Hub will “help shape that growth.” MTN Group Chief Executive Ralph Mupita echoed the partnership approach: “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.”

Context and details

The collaboration aims to address a stark infrastructure gap: Africa currently accounts for under 1% of total global AI data centre capacity, a metric highlighted in recent analyses. For MTN — which operates across 16 African markets — the move is part of a broader strategy to diversify revenue beyond traditional telecommunications services and to capture growing demand as businesses and governments adopt AI.

• New entity: Africa Data Hub Holding Ltd., financially backed by Al Ashram’s investment firm.
• Planned capacity: a phased rollout beginning with 150 megawatts of AI-focused data centre capacity.
• Initial markets: Nigeria and South Africa, with facilities intended to support MTN’s compute needs and third‑party cloud and enterprise customers.
• Operational preparations: MTN is securing land and negotiating power agreements ahead of construction and deployment.

MTN’s stated objective is twofold: provision of in‑house computational resources to handle the company’s increasing AI workloads and the creation of commercial capacity that major cloud providers, enterprises and public sector organisations can use. Executives also framed the project as a response to rising governmental demands for data sovereignty and local control over sensitive information.

Al Ashram framed Africa as mirroring opportunities he has observed in the Middle East, driven by “strong underlying demand, rapidly expanding digital economies and an increasing need for resilient and scalable infrastructure.” His investment firm — which counts experience from the Gulf Data Hub partnership with KKR — will provide the financial backing for Africa Data Hub Holding Ltd. MTN CEO Ralph Mupita stressed the phased approach to the rollout and noted MTN’s intention to leverage third‑party partnerships in building its AI business.

Outlook

If executed on schedule, the initiative could materially expand local compute capacity at a time when the continent’s AI ecosystem remains nascent. The initial 150MW build-out would represent a meaningful step toward reducing Africa’s sub‑1% share of global AI data centre capacity, while offering MTN new revenue streams beyond connectivity. Key near‑term indicators to watch are land acquisition, power agreements and the timeline for bringing the first facilities in Nigeria and South Africa online.