| On the occasion of the Africa Forward Summit, organized by France and Kenya in Nairobi on 11–12 May, Proparco, the French development finance institution, Yas (owned by AXIAN Telecom) and AXIAN Energy announce the signing of a strategic partnership to strengthen cooperation in the development of digital and energy services and infrastructure on the African continent. • A common commitment to provide access to affordable, secure and reliable digital and financial services as well as clean energy across Africa. • Financial support from Proparco of up to EUR 300 million in the 3 coming years to scale investments in sustainable digital infrastructure and renewable energy projects. • A proprietary collaboration to mobilize financing, expertise and private sector engagement to support inclusive growth and strengthen local ecosystems. |
| Proparco, Yas and AXIAN Energy have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) formalizing their shared ambition to deepen cooperation and build synergies in support of Africa’s digital and energy transitions. Through this agreement, the three partners aim to establish a long-term strategic partnership to improve access to digital services and energy across Africa—two essential drivers of inclusion, economic growth and territorial competitiveness. This collaboration reflects the urgency of scaling up resilient infrastructure to ensure that more people across the continent benefit from affordable internet access, secure, reliable digital services, and clean energy. Scaling digital and energy infrastructure The partnership will focus on several key sectors. In digital infrastructure, the partners will collaborate on the expansion of fixed and mobile networks to enhance connectivity, particularly in underserved and rural areas and tackle the digital affordability gap. The development of data centres will also be a priority, strengthening local data storage and processing capacity, and supporting the emergence of African-led digital services, including Artificial Intelligence. In the energy sector, cooperation will include the development of renewable energy production (solar, wind and hydropower), as well as battery storage solutions. The partners will also support telecom energy services (T-ESCO) to promote more energy-efficient digital infrastructure, and invest in electricity transmission and distribution networks, including decentralized solutions such as mini-grids to advance rural electrification. Electric mobility and charging infrastructure will also form part of the collaboration. Advancing financial inclusion and entrepreneurship The MoU further extends to financial services, with a focus on digital financial solutions such as mobile money, insurance, microcredit and savings products to promote financial inclusion. The partners also intend to support African entrepreneurship by facilitating access to financing for startups and innovative companies, fostering dynamic local ecosystems. Up to EUR 300 million of financing This collaboration builds on Yas and AXIAN Energy projects that Proparco has already supported in 2025 and 2026. To this end, Proparco intends to commit up to EUR 300 million over the next three years to support the expansion of AXIAN’s activities, through corporate financing, subscriptions to project finance bond issuances, equity co-investments, or the mobilization of concessional funds. To achieve these objectives, Proparco, Yas and AXIAN Energy will work together on financing solutions— and collaborate on project engineering through joint identification and development of high-impact initiatives, as well as technical cooperation, including training and knowledge sharing on ESG standards, climate challenges and impact measurement. This partnership brings together AXIAN’s pan-African ambition to expand inclusive digital and energy access and Proparco’s strategy to support sustainable infrastructure and accelerate the ‘twin’ digital and energy transitions across emerging markets. “Access to digital services and energy is a cornerstone of sustainable development and a powerful lever for economic transformation in Africa. Through this partnership with Yas and AXIAN Energy, we aim to accelerate investments in resilient infrastructure that delivers tangible impact for the African people,” said Françoise Lombard, CEO of Proparco. “In Africa, digital and energy access are not separate stories, they are the same story of social inclusion and economic opportunity. This partnership with Proparco gives us additional means to scale solutions that already serve tens of millions of Africans, and to reach those who still lack the basics.” added Hassanein Hiridjee, CEO of AXIAN Group. |
