Zimbabwean billionaire Strive Masiyiwa’s to set up new data center facility in Nairobi

Africa Data Centers (ADC), a prominent carrier-neutral data center provider owned by Zimbabwean billionaire Strive Masiyiwa, has initiated construction on its latest facility in Nairobi, signaling its commitment to meeting the growing demand for data center services in the region.

By focusing on Kenya as a strategic region, ADC seeks to usher the country into the digital age and enhance its global profile as a sought-after destination for international cloud providers, hyperscalers, and other ICT companies.

Following its announcement to build its first data center in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, the Strive Masiyiwa-led firm is now expanding its existing data center in Nairobi, Kenya’s capital city, by up to 15 MW of IT load in line with its strategic growth plans.

The new facility in Nairobi will be built using the company’s cutting-edge modular design and is expected to be completed in the first half of 2024, bringing a fivefold increase in capacity compared to the current installation.

This move underscores the firm’s commitment to meeting the increasing demand for data center services in the region and reinforces its position as a key player in Africa’s digital transformation.

During the ground-breaking ceremony, Tesh Durvasula, CEO of Africa Datacentres, highlighted the benefits of the expansion, stating: “The expansion will enable Africa Datacentre clients to grow and scale depending on their requirements.”

“They can start small, increase to a medium capacity, and even benefit from a hyper scale type of deployment in a few years. This will enable customers to operate multiple deployments across our sites with a single operations team, campus, and infrastructure they are familiar with,” he said.

Strive Masiyiwa’s net worth surges by $700 million year-to-date

ADC is an affiliate of Cassava Technologies, a fiber and telecom solutions group founded by Strive Masiyiwa, Zimbabwe’s richest man and a leading African tech billionaire.

As Africa’s largest and most interconnected network of carrier- and cloud-neutral data center facilities, ADC is committed to providing the necessary infrastructure to help companies achieve their digital goals.

Since the start of the year, Masiyiwa, who owns a 52.85-percent stake in Econet Zimbabwe and 30 percent of EcoCash Holdings, has witnessed a notable surge in his net worth. It has increased by $700 million, rising from $1.2 billion to $1.9 billion at the time of drafting.

In addition to his holdings in Econet Zimbabwe and EcoCash Holdings, he also has a $145-million equity position in Liquid Intelligent, a diversified telecom group with operations and investments in Africa, Europe, South America, and the East Asia-Pacific Rim, through his ownership of Econet Global.

These investments protect Masiyiwa’s wealth from currency fluctuations, along with his stakes in other ventures like Distributed Power Technologies, Africa Data Centers, Sasai Fintech, and Cassava Remit.