Cassava Technologies, the digital services group founded by Zimbabwean billionaire Strive Masiyiwa, has introduced a new artificial intelligence platform designed to make cutting-edge AI tools more accessible to mobile network operators across Africa.
The platform, known as Cassava AI Multi-Model Exchange, allows operators on the continent to tap into multiple AI models — including those developed by OpenAI, Anthropic and Google — all through a single interface. According to the company, this is the first solution of its kind in Africa to consolidate such a wide range of global AI systems.
In a statement announcing the launch, Cassava AI CEO Ahmed El Beheiry said the new exchange aligns with the continent’s growing appetite for home-grown technological innovation.
“Africa has the potential to be more than a consumer of AI technologies imported to the continent,” he said.
“Through CAIMEx, Cassava is creating a bridge between global innovation and African ambition, giving every MNO the ability to offer subscribers world-class AI tools and LLMs easily and affordably.”
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The platform supports both fast-response applications and more complex reasoning tasks, and is designed to integrate new AI models as they emerge. To meet data protection and compliance requirements across various African markets, CAIMEx operates through Cassava’s regional AI factories, ensuring that user data remains within the continent’s borders.
Cassava Technologies, which has a footprint in more than 90 countries across Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, Europe and the U.S., describes the platform as part of its broader mission to build an interconnected digital ecosystem.
The company’s portfolio includes Cassava AI, Liquid Intelligent Technologies, Liquid Cloud and Cyber Security, Africa Data Centres and Sasai Fintech.
The unveiling of CAIMEx builds on the company’s recent AI-focused investments. In September 2025, Cassava announced plans to establish five AI factories across Africa within a year. It also partnered with NVIDIA in a $720 million investment deal aimed at expanding high-performance computing capacity for AI infrastructure.
Through these initiatives, Cassava Technologies says it hopes to position Africa not only as a user of next-generation AI tools, but as an influential player in shaping their development and application.
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