Obasanjo made me build Africa’s first AI factory -Zimbabwean billionaire, Masiyiwa

Zimbabwean billionaire Strive Masiyiwa, founder of Cassava Technologies, has revealed how conversations with Aliko Dangote and former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo inspired his ambitious plan to build Africa’s first AI factory through Project Mufungi.

In a detailed Facebook post, Masiyiwa recounted a pivotal 2018 meeting in Singapore with Africa’s richest man and the former Nigerian leader. “Baba Obasanjo challenged us both that day to ‘do bigger things for Africa… stuff you guys can now do!'” Masiyiwa recalled.

This conversation proved transformative.

While Dangote pursued his $19 billion refinery project, Masiyiwa – already developing continental fiber networks – began contemplating how to position Africa in the global AI race.

The tech entrepreneur described his turning point at an industry panel where speakers dismissed Africa’s AI potential due to computing costs.

“If Aliko can raise $19 billion, surely I should be able to raise a few billion for AI Compute in Africa,” he recalled thinking.

He later discussed the idea with Dangote and Afreximbank President Benedict Oramah, who offered enthusiastic support.

“My brother, you got this. It’s your field now. If you can’t do it, then who?” Dangote reportedly said, while Oramah pledged institutional backing.

The resulting initiative, developed with Nvidia, will establish high-performance AI computing infrastructure across Africa.

Initial rollout begins in South Africa by June 2025, with expansion to Nigeria, Egypt, Kenya and Morocco to follow.

The factory aims to empower African innovators by providing cutting-edge computing infrastructure, local capacity for model development as well as alternatives to foreign cloud dependencies.

Masiyiwa’s project comes amid growing international investment in African tech infrastructure, including Microsoft and UAE’s G42 plans for a $1 billion geothermal data center in Kenya.

The billionaire envisions Africa replicating its mobile money success in AI: “Just as we leapfrogged traditional banking, we can lead in AI adoption through local capacity building.”

With support from Nvidia and Afreximbank, Project Mufungi represents a significant step toward closing the global AI divide while positioning Africa as a participant rather than just consumer in the revolution.

Read more reports on www.diasporadigitalmedia.com

For Diaspora Digital Media Updates click on Whatsapp, or Telegram. For eyewitness accounts/ reports/ articles, write to: citizenreports@diasporadigitalmedia.com. Follow us on X (Fomerly Twitter) or Facebook