Zimbabwean billionaire Strive Masiyiwa has launched what is being described as Africa’s first multi-model artificial intelligence (AI) platform, in a move that could transform the continent’s access to advanced digital technologies.
Cassava Technologies, the pan-African tech giant founded by Masiyiwa, announced the rollout of the Cassava AI Multi-Model Exchange (CAIMEx), designed to make powerful AI tools more affordable and accessible for African businesses and mobile network operators.
Bridging Africa’s AI divide
CAIMEx allows telecom operators and enterprises to access AI systems from global leaders such as OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google through a single, locally managed platform. The system provides access to multiple large language models—including Claude and Gemini—allowing users to select the tools that best fit their needs.
According to Ahmed El Beheiry, Chief Executive Officer of Cassava AI, the platform will help African operators and businesses harness AI for customer engagement, decision-making, automation, and product development—without the prohibitive costs of global infrastructure.
“Africa has the potential to be more than a consumer of imported AI technologies,” El Beheiry said. “With CAIMEx, we’re creating a bridge between global innovation and African ambition, enabling millions of users to benefit from AI in a sustainable way.”
The company added that all CAIMEx services will be hosted within Cassava’s regional AI factories to ensure data remains within the continent, in line with African data protection laws. This local hosting, it said, will boost data privacy, performance, and compliance while helping small and medium enterprises access tools that improve productivity and competitiveness.
Masiyiwa’s vision for digital self-sufficiency
Masiyiwa, whose estimated net worth stands at $1.3 billion, has long advocated for Africa’s technological independence. Through Cassava Technologies—which operates across Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America with subsidiaries including Liquid Intelligent Technologies, Africa Data Centres, Liquid C2, Cassava.ai, and Sasai Fintech—he has consistently pushed for homegrown innovation.
In September, Cassava revealed plans to build five AI factories across Africa within the next 12 months, alongside an investment partnership with global chipmaker NVIDIA to expand its AI and cloud infrastructure.
The launch of CAIMEx marks another milestone in Masiyiwa’s ambition to ensure Africa is not left behind in the global AI revolution. By offering a platform that connects local enterprises to world-class AI models while keeping data and innovation within the continent, Cassava Technologies is positioning itself at the heart of Africa’s digital transformation.
