Dubai’s consumer electronics maker, Maser Group to invest $1.6bn in Nigeria, others

Dubai-based consumer electronics maker Maser Group has announced plans to invest $1.6 billion in Nigeria, Ghana, and Kenya over the next two years.

According to a Bloomberg report, the large-scale investment is targeted at building data centres and farms. The company said the investment is aimed at addressing Africa’s growing food security challenges and widening digital infrastructure gap, as demand for data capacity and agricultural output continues to surge.

Founder and Chairman of Maser Group, Prateek Suri, disclosed that the company has already spent about $300 million on land acquisitions and other asset-backed projects as part of its expansion strategy into agriculture and technology infrastructure.
According to Suri, most of the funding for the new investments will be provided by Maser’s investment arm, MDR Investments LLC, alongside China’s Chia Ventures Co.

He added that MDR Investments, which manages a $500 million fund, is also pursuing public-private partnerships with several African countries, including Nigeria, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Rwanda, in sectors such as agriculture, mining, and low-cost housing.

Suri noted that Maser Group is in discussions with potential partners in Taiwan to jointly develop data centres across Africa, as the continent experiences rapid growth in demand for digital services.

“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,” he said during a virtual interview earlier this month.

Africa’s data centre market remains significantly underdeveloped relative to global demand. Industry estimates suggest data centre capacity on the continent could rise to about 2.2 gigawatts by 2030, up from roughly 0.4 gigawatts today, requiring as much as $20 billion in fresh investment.

Meanwhile, a recent report by Verraki Partners, a member of Andersen Consulting, projected Nigeria’s data centre market projected to hit 2.7 billion by 2035.

According to the report, Nigeria is currently experiencing a data centre gold rush that will transform it into West Africa’s leading digital hub, with installed capacity projected to surge from 65-86 MW in 2025 to over 400 MW within 3-5 years.

The report said that Nigeria currently hosts approximately 17 active (commissioned/live) data centres, with 9 additional facilities recorded as upcoming (planned or under construction), reinforcing the scale and pace of expansion now underway.