Investment

The US$3.2 billion IPO of Indian technology and digital services multinational Reliance Jio Platforms has been one of this week’s big business stories, not least because the company's shares rose 27% in its Mumbai debut on Wednesday, making it India's second-largest company by market capitalisation.

Hayo, a global digital service provider, says it has expanded its presence in East Africa by establishing operations in Tanzania with the aim of helping to design, build and run critical digital infrastructure.

Development bank the World Bank Group has launched what it calls its first digital strategy, bringing together its public and private sector capabilities to help developing countries expand affordable digital access, improve services, and create jobs.

Millicom, the digital telecommunications and media company operating primarily under the Tigo brand in Latin America, has announced an investment of approximately US$2.665 billion in Colombia over the next four years.

The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) announced on Wednesday that their ambitious US$10 billion initiative to accelerate AI adoption across Africa has progressed to the deployment phase.

Multinational telecommunications company AT&T says it has reached an agreement to sell service provider AT&T Mexico to Grupo Televisa, a major Mexican multimedia and telecommunications corporation, and investment firm Fintech Holdings for US$2 billion.

Botswana has reportedly invested P34.5 million (about US$2.5 million) in expanding mobile broadband and voice coverage along the 1,900-kilometre Trans-Kalahari Highway, deploying 12 sites through the Universal Access and Service Fund broadband expansion project.

African digital infrastructure provider WIOCC is to receive investment of up to $155 million from the US International Development Finance Corporation.

Cybastion, a US company that delivers digital and infrastructure solutions in Africa, reportedly plans to mobilise about US$300 million for several projects supporting Senegal's digital transformation.

In what could prove an important boost for the drive towards enabling cash-free economies in the developing world, the World Bank Group has launched an initiative to help local financial institutions expand digital payments in emerging markets.

Pan-African telecoms firm Africell confirmed on Friday it has secured a US$99.6 million direct loan from the US Export-Import Bank (ExIm) primarily to enable the American-owned company to buy only US and European mobile network equipment.

The US Export-Import Bank is reportedly set to award pan-African telecoms firm Africell a loan worth US$100 million as part of a move by the Trump administration to discourage it from buying network equipment from Chinese vendors like Huawei and ZTE.

African digital infrastructure provider WIOCC Group announced on Tuesday that Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) and Saudi Arabian infrastructure investment and development firm Vision Invest will invest a combined US$300 million in the company.

Digital and infrastructure solutions company Cybastion says it plans to invest US$75 million in an AI-powered data centre and power plant in Cameroon, expanding the company's digital infrastructure projects across Africa.

A major deal has been announced that could change the Polish telecom landscape. Deutsche Telekom has agreed to acquire 100% of Fiberhost, a Polish open-access fixed network operator, together with Inea, a retail broadband and TV provider.

Data centre provider ST Telemedia Global Data Centres (STT GDC), has announced that it has secured a green financing facility of up to US$1.37 billion to support the development of STT Johor, its flagship Malaysia data centre campus at Nusa Cemerlang Industrial Park in Johor.

The Emerging Africa & Asia Infrastructure Fund (EAAIF) is loaning a combined US$82.8 million to two Africa-focused telecom infrastructure firms.

Following the successful subscription of its Series 1 corporate bond, technology solutions and services company Dimension Data Limited says it has completed the signing ceremony for the issuance of N4.05 billion (approximately US$2.9 million).

Malaysia’s MBSB Bank said on Monday it has entered into a RM400 million (US$97.6 million) Shariah-compliant structured receivable purchase facility with Huawei Technologies (Malaysia) to support deployment of 5G RAN equipment and services for U Mobile’s network.

Thai telco True Corp confirmed on Tuesday that China Mobile International is looking to sell a small chunk of its 7.81% stake in the company, but denied a Bloomberg report claiming that China Mobile planned to unload the entire stake.

Lesotho has secured what is being described as the largest foreign investment in its history with the signing of the US$6.2 billion Kobong Project, whose aims include the development of hydropower resources and an artificial intelligence (AI) data centre.

Despite the growing concern about the development of data centres in the country – and particularly in Johor, as we reported on Tuesday – this week has seen some major financing deals that aim to further boost the data centre industry in Malaysia, though both deals emphasise their green credentials.

The Malaysian government is reportedly having second thoughts about its incentives to attract foreign investment for data centre projects as part of a broader move to rethink its strategy to build Malaysia into a major AI data centre hub.

Côte d’Ivoire is getting Starlink LEO satellite services and a sovereign national data centre, among other things, following a state visit to Abidjan by US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Frank R. Garcia last Thursday.

India’s government is injecting a further US$13.30 billion (INR 1.28 trillion) into an existing semiconductor manufacturing initiative, according to Information Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.

Multilateral development bank IDB Invest says it has led a US$140 million financing package for Torrecom Partners, a US-based leading independent telecom tower operator in Latin America, to support the expansion of digital infrastructure, connectivity and competitiveness across the region.

African data centre platform Raxio Group says it has passed US$380 million in committed capital as shareholders Meridiam and Roha increased their support for the company’s next phase of growth following a sixfold surge in contracted capacity this year.

The Gambian government has begun the privatisation of its state-owned mobile operator, Gamcel, whose parent company, Gamtel, last week signed an agreement with private operator YCELL.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is providing a senior loan of up to €270 million to Yas, a leading pan-African telecommunications company owned by Axian Telecom, to support the expansion of digital infrastructure and improve connectivity across Africa.

Angola's biggest telecommunications operator, Unitel, is preparing an initial public offering (IPO) of its shares on the local stock exchange and will launch a roadshow next week, according to a company statement.

Global digital operator Veon – which owns Bangladesh telco Banglalink – announced Tuesday it has committed an initial US$250 million anchor investment as part of a new initiative to attract US$1 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) to Bangladesh.

Zain Group, a Kuwaiti mobile telecommunications company operating in eight markets across the Middle East and Africa and serving 51.2 million customers, has been awarded a 25-year licence to operate the former MTN mobile telecom network in Syria.

Amazon has announced plans to invest an additional US$13 billion to expand AI and cloud infrastructure in India, taking its total investment in the country to US$48 billion between 2026 and 2030.