Cassava Technologies has taken a major leap in advancing Africa’s artificial intelligence ecosystem by becoming the continent’s first NVIDIA Cloud Partner (NCP) — a move set to accelerate access to cutting-edge computing infrastructure and drive homegrown innovation.
The announcement was made at AfricaCom 2025, where Strive Masiyiwa, Founder and Executive Chairman of Cassava Technologies, outlined the company’s vision to make Africa a key contributor to global AI progress, not just a consumer of it. Through this partnership, Cassava will deploy NVIDIA GPUs across five data sites, creating a distributed high-performance computing network dedicated to AI research, training, and enterprise applications.
Building Africa’s AI Infrastructure
The partnership with NVIDIA marks a pivotal moment for Africa’s technology landscape. Historically, the continent has struggled with limited access to advanced computing resources — a challenge that has hindered large-scale AI development. Cassava Technologies aims to change that by making cloud-based GPU power available locally, significantly reducing costs and latency for African researchers, developers, and enterprises.
This infrastructure will support a wide range of use cases — from training large language models and automating agricultural processes to enhancing medical diagnostics and optimizing logistics systems. With GPUs deployed in strategic locations, Cassava’s network will provide the backbone for AI innovation that meets Africa’s unique needs, helping startups and academic institutions build locally relevant solutions.
Strategic Partnerships with Global AI Leaders
In addition to its collaboration with NVIDIA, Cassava Technologies is expanding its partnerships with Google, Anthropic, and other global AI leaders to bring cutting-edge tools and training opportunities to African developers. These collaborations will enable access to frameworks, APIs, and cloud services that allow African innovators to experiment, train models, and deploy AI-powered applications without the barriers of cost or geography.
Masiyiwa emphasized that Africa’s next wave of growth will depend on how effectively the continent leverages AI to solve real-world challenges.
“We want to ensure that Africa is not left behind in the AI revolution,” he said. “By providing the infrastructure and partnerships necessary to experiment and innovate, we are empowering a new generation of African talent to create solutions for global markets.”
Positioning Africa for the Future of AI
As industries around the world race to harness the power of artificial intelligence, Africa’s participation is no longer optional. With its young population, growing startup ecosystem, and increasing digital adoption, the continent holds immense potential to shape how AI is applied globally.
Cassava’s latest initiatives underscore a broader shift toward technological sovereignty — ensuring that Africa develops its own data infrastructure, trains its own models, and cultivates its own AI talent. By partnering with global technology giants while maintaining an African-centered vision, Cassava Technologies is setting the stage for long-term innovation and inclusion.
With the deployment of NVIDIA GPUs, strategic alliances with top AI firms, and ongoing efforts to develop digital skills, Cassava Technologies is not just enabling access to AI tools — it is building Africa’s capacity to lead in the age of intelligent technology.
