10/24/2025
Zimbabwean billionaire Strive Masiyiwa is investing 720 million dollars to build five artificial intelligence factories across Africa through his company, Cassava Technologies. The factories will be located in South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt, and Morocco.
The initiative is part of Cassava’s Sovereign AI Cloud strategy, aimed at giving African countries access to advanced AI infrastructure and reducing dependence on overseas cloud providers. The first factory, already under construction in South Africa, will be powered by 3,000 Nvidia processors.
Masiyiwa says the project will provide the foundation for innovation across sectors such as finance, education, health, and agriculture by enabling African businesses, researchers, and start-ups to develop and deploy their own AI systems locally.
When complete in 2026, the factories are expected to strengthen Africa’s digital economy and position the continent as a significant player in the global AI industry.