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Google drives AI adoption, digital skills, and connectivity to empower young Africans and reshape innovation landscapes

Africa, home to the world’s largest youth population expected to surpass 830 million by 2050, is at a pivotal moment for technological advancement. The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) presents a transformative opportunity to empower young Africans, enhance innovation, and bridge the digital divide

Google has long recognised that access to AI requires more than just technology. It also demands connectivity, products, and training. By making AI accessible, Google aims to expand opportunities for young people across the continent, ensuring the digital revolution benefits everyone and that AI does not widen existing inequalities.

Connectivity as the foundation for AI

Google’s commitment to African connectivity began in 2006 with the Seacom cable. In 2021, the company pledged US$1 billion over five years to strengthen digital infrastructure, an investment it has already exceeded. This funding has supported the development of resilient and secure networks essential for Africans to harness AI.

Recently, Google announced four strategic subsea cable hubs spanning North, South, East, and West Africa. These hubs will create digital corridors across the continent and beyond, enhancing international connectivity, boosting resilience, and driving economic growth. This initiative builds on existing projects such as the Google Cloud region in Johannesburg, the Equiano cable along Africa’s western coast, and Umoja, the first fiber optic route linking Africa directly to Australia. Collectively, these efforts have enabled over 100 million Africans to access the internet for the first time.

AI empowering youth and innovation

To accelerate learning and innovation, Google is providing college students aged 18 and above in Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, and Zimbabwe with a free one-year subscription to Google Gemini AI Pro. The suite includes tools like Deep Research for in-depth reports, Guided Learning as an AI companion, and coding and content creation resources, equipping students to tackle local challenges and seize new opportunities.

Google has trained 7 million Africans in AI skills and aims to reach an additional 3 million students, teachers, and young people by 2030. Over the past four years, the company has invested more than US$17 million in African universities and research institutions, with another US$9mn planned. Support for local languages has grown as well, with over 30 African languages added to Google Translate and more than 40 African voice datasets under development.

Driving African-led solutions

Google’s AI research teams in Kenya and Ghana are addressing real-world challenges such as flood forecasting, agricultural resilience, and infrastructure mapping. By 2030, Google aims to reach 500 million Africans with AI-powered solutions that empower communities, businesses, and governments.

Groundbreaking ceremony of the Nxtra by Airtel Africa 44MW Data Centre at Tatu City SEZ, Kenya (IMAGE SOURCE: Tatu City)

Airtel has started work on what is set to be East Africa’s largest data centre at Kenya’s Tatu City Special Economic Zone

The Nxtra Data Centre facility will deliver 44MW of IT power capacity in phases, and house new-generation servers as well as high-density GPU-ready racks with 99.999% uptime, multiple redundant fibre paths, and advanced security systems.

The data centre hub is supported by Tatu City's provision of 95% renewable energy, making the location one of the greenest in the world for data centre investors and clients.

“By building the largest data centre in East Africa, we are laying the groundwork for a thriving digital ecosystem that empowers businesses, supports governments, and unlocks new opportunities for communities across the region,” said Yashnath Issur, CEO, data centre, Airtel Africa.

“Nxtra by Airtel will be built to the highest global standards, ensuring reliability, scalability, and energy efficiency. Beyond capacity, our focus is on sustainability and resilience, enabling customers to fully leverage next-generation technologies in a secure environment."

Tatu City, a 5,000-acre new city on Nairobi's doorstep, is Kenya's first operational Special Economic Zone, located 30 minutes from Nairobiand being developed by Rendeavour.

It has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in world-class infrastructure to become East Africa's data centre hub.

The city's utilities include a 135MVA power substation and distribution network with 99.7% uptime, the country's only location with 24/7 water supply for industries, comprehensive storm water management, 70km of international-standard roads, and more than 120km of secure underground fibre.

“For more than a decade, we have invested in world-class infrastructure and sustainable energy at Tatu City to make it the natural home for data centres in East Africa,” said Stephen Jennings, founder & CEO of Rendeavour.

“Airtel's decision to locate Nxtra here is a powerful endorsement of this vision. As Nxtra joins over 100 global and local companies already thriving at Tatu City, we are confident that many more data centres will follow.”

One third of Tatu City’s energy demand is met directly by solar power, which is boosted by Kenya's predominantly renewable national grid.

Other major businesses already operating at Tatu City include Emirates Logistics and Heineken.

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iXAfrica secures funding from RMB to expand Nairobi data centre by 20 MW

IX Africa Data Centre Limited and Rand Merchant Bank, a division of FirstRand Limited, have announced the successful closing of a multi-tranche funding package to drive the next stage of iXAfrica’s expansion

The financing will enable iXAfrica to respond to the region’s rising digital needs by supporting the construction of an additional 20 MW of IT power at its Nairobi data centre campus. This development builds on the initial phase, which currently delivers 2.25 MW already in operation.

RMB structured a tailored financing solution for iXAfrica, signalling the start of a new partnership and highlighting the bank’s commitment to working with top-tier clients across the continent.

“Our company has bold plans and ambitions, and we’ve been consistently delivering on them,” remarked Guy Willner, chairman of iXAfrica. “Closing this financing with RMB secures our next phase of growth and positions us to welcome more hyperscale and AI customers. We remain committed to expanding our East African footprint and deepening our investment in Kenya.”

“This transaction reflects RMB’s commitment to supporting scalable, high-impact digital infrastructure across Africa,” concluded Corrie Cronje, senior transactor RMB.

ZTE Corporation and MTN achieve a global first with the commercial rollout of a 5-band RRU in South Africa’s Western Cape

ZTE Corporation, a global leader in integrated ICT solutions, together with MTN, one of Africa’s largest telecom operators, has announced the world’s first commercial deployment of a 5-band Remote Radio Unit (RRU)

The breakthrough, achieved in South Africa’s Western Cape Province, marks a major advancement in radio frequency technology and adds momentum to the continent’s telecom evolution.

South Africa, home to over 60 million people, is among Africa’s most advanced telecommunications markets. MTN currently provides more than 97% LTE population coverage across the nation, underscoring its mission to deliver quality connectivity, even to remote communities.

As customer demand for multi-band and multi-module services increases, operators face hurdles such as high power consumption, tower load, and space limitations. MTN’s adoption of the 5-band RRU offers a direct solution, boosting network performance, improving energy efficiency, and simplifying deployments to enable faster and more sustainable expansion of advanced connectivity.

Traditionally, adding new frequency bands requires new hardware, additional space, and more power. The new 5-band RRU, powered by ZTE’s in-house chipset, combines MTN South Africa’s low and mid bands (FDD) into one compact unit. This innovation cuts RAN RF modules on towers by half, reduces equipment weight by 23%, and lowers wind resistance by 18%. These optimisations ease site construction, reduce complexity, and free tower space.

ZTE has also introduced its Super-N amplifier architecture, which activates dense arrays of amplifiers on demand, overcoming the limitations of traditional Doherty systems. This design maintains efficiency under variable loads, achieving a 42.7% reduction in site power consumption and a 45.8% improvement in energy efficiency (Wh/GB). The results support South Africa’s push for a greener, low-carbon society and set a global benchmark for sustainable telecom development.

Rami Farah, chief technology officer, MTN South Africa, commented, "MTN's collaboration with ZTE on the world's first 5-band RRU commercial deployment effectively addresses multiple challenges faced by operators in terms of coverage, capacity, cost, and energy efficiency. It provides a new, replicable, highly integrated site solution for Africa and even the global market, accelerating the evolution of telecommunication networks towards higher efficiency and lower carbon emissions, continuously injecting core momentum into Africa's digital economy and promoting African telecommunication technologies to a higher level."

Luca Shen, CEO, ZTE South Africa, remarked, "ZTE has always regarded product leadership as its core competitiveness and is committed to delivering cutting-edge solutions. The in-depth collaboration with MTN not only achieves mutual benefits and win-win outcomes for both parties but also accelerates the rapid upgrade of South Africa's telecommunication network, setting a benchmark for digital transformation across the African continent."

Both ZTE and MTN have reaffirmed their dedication to advancing Africa’s digital infrastructure, emphasising energy conservation, emission reduction, and digital economy growth. With a shared vision of “protecting nature through technology and driving the future through innovation”, the companies will continue to work together to bridge the digital divide, deliver sustainable, smart networks, and contribute to wider economic and social development across the continent.

Johannesburg invests in smart utility systems

South Africa’s Lesira-Teq (Pty) Ltd, an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) specialising in smart utility solutions, has received an endorsement from Paris-based Actility, the global pioneer in Low-Power Wide-Area Networks (LPWAN) connectivity
 
The recognition from Actility is strongly supported by Lesira-Teq’s recent achievements with Johannesburg Water, the largest water utility in South Africa.
 
A municipal entity owned by the City of Johannesburg, the utility provides water and sanitation services to the residents of Johannesburg, serving a population of over 5 million people.
 
Lesira-Teq played a pivotal role in the utility's digital transformation, guiding the transition from traditional infrastructure to advanced, LoRaWAN-connected systems.
 
This complex project involved the successful upgrade of water meters.
 
By utilising the robust capabilities of the Actility ThingPark platform, Lesira-Teq provided Johannesburg Water with the technology necessary to enhance operational efficiency, improve data accuracy, and proactively manage critical water resources in a major urban environment.
 
The latest validation recognises Lesira-Teq’s success in implementing Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) for the Johannesburg water utility.
 
“Lesira-Teq has successfully deployed large-scale water meter projects using Actility's ThingPark platform, demonstrating professionalism, reliability, and technical excellence,” stated Olivier Hersent, CEO of Actility.
 
“We consider Lesira-Teq a legitimate and trusted provider of quality products and services.”
 
The success of the Johannesburg Water deployment underscores the synergy between Actility’s industry-leading connectivity solutions and Lesira-Teq’s expertise in smart metering hardware and implementation.
 
"Our collaboration with Actility provides the foundational technology necessary for deploying resilient and scalable smart water networks," said Edwin Sibiya, CEO of Pretoria-based Lesira-Teq.
 
"Successfully executing a project of this magnitude for Johannesburg Water requires absolute trust in our partners and our technology. We are honoured by this validation from Olivier Hersent, which confirms our commitment to delivering world-class solutions that address critical water management challenges.”
 
The partnership sets a benchmark for the adoption of smart, efficient and sustainable utility management solutions across the region, Sibiya noted.
 
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