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A Dubai-based consumer electronics company is pivoting toward large-scale investments in farmland and data centres across Africa, citing rising demand for technology infrastructure and the urgent need to strengthen food security on the continent.
The company, Maser, Group, has committed to investing US$1.6 billion in Nigeria, Ghana, and Kenya over the next 24 months, according to Club of Mozambique.
The move is aimed at addressing Africa’s growing deficits in both food production and digital infrastructure.
The company revealed that it had already spent $300 million acquiring land and undertaking other asset-backed projects as part of its new investment strategy.
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The expansion will be financed largely through Maser’s investment arm MDR Investments LLC as well as China’s Chia Ventures, which is backed by People’s Insurance of China.
“In addition, MDR, which has a $500 million fund, is pursuing public-private partnerships with Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Rwanda and Nigeria in industries including mining, low-cost housing and agriculture,” company founder Prateek Suri said in a recent virtual interview.
He added that Maser was also in discussions with Taiwanese companies to form joint ventures aimed at developing data centres across Africa.
“We are in touch with certain companies in Taiwan who are ready to do a joint venture with us to open data centres in Africa,” Suri said.
The company’s focus on data centres comes amid rapidly growing demand for digital services.
Research by McKinsey & Co projects that Africa’s data centre capacity requirements could rise sharply to about 2.2 gigawatts by 2030, up from only 0.4 gigawatts today.
Meeting that demand will require as much as US$20 billion in fresh investment across the continent.
Maser’s shift signals growing investor confidence in Africa as a strategic frontier for both agriculture and digital infrastructure, sectors increasingly viewed as essential for long-term economic stability and growth.
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