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MTN Digital Infrastructure, trading as Bayobab and part of the MTN Group, has partnered with Zoom Communications, Inc. to boost digital inclusion and enhance business connectivity across Africa.
The partnership will combine Bayobab’s extensive voice and data infrastructure with Zoom’s communication technologies to deliver advanced collaboration solutions tailored to African markets.
Bayobab, which rebranded from its former identity of MTN GlobalConnect to underscore its pan-African open-access ambitions, brings a robust infrastructure footprint, including submarine and terrestrial fibre and communications platforms.
Zoom, renowned for its cloud-based communications and collaboration services, will work with Bayobab to deploy tailored solutions that combine reliable voice infrastructure with modern digital experiences.
Central to this partnership is the integration of Zoom’s AI Companion, a tool which has evolved from user-assistance functions to end-to-end task automation and context-aware workflow support.
The idea is to empower African businesses across sectors to streamline operations, collaborate more effectively and make smarter, data-driven decisions.
According to Bayobab’s Chief Communication Platforms Officer, Mohamed Bassit, the alliance underscores the company’s mission to enable meaningful connectivity and innovation across Africa.
“As an MTN Group company, we are uniquely positioned to scale impact across the continent,” he said.
On the Zoom side, Jason Gilligan, Head of Global Strategic Business Development, highlighted that the partnership marks a key step toward embedding Zoom’s AI-first communications platform more deeply into Africa’s digital economy.
The collaboration will see Bayobab extend “robust, high-capacity connectivity across one of Africa’s most expansive geographic footprints,” enabling global-standard telephony and enhanced voice communications via the Zoom Workplace platform.
It also signals an exploration of new distribution, pricing and technical integration models designed for the continent’s diverse market conditions.
Moreover, Bayobab and Zoom have committed to co-investing in ecosystem development and a friction-free support framework to ensure the venture’s sustained success.
The announcement represents not only a technology partnership but a strategic advance in how African communities and businesses will connect, collaborate and grow in the coming years.
In an era where Africa faces both a rising demand for digital services and a persistent connectivity gap, smart infrastructure and strategic alliances have become crucial.
Bayobab’s prior initiatives — such as its partnership with Africa50 to deploy a pan-African terrestrial fibre network — reflect its ambitions to bridge that divide.
Mawingu, a telecommunications firm specializing in delivering internet connectivity across rural and peri-urban East Africa, has secured a US$20 million investment from the Pembani Remgro Infrastructure Fund II (PRIF II).
Orange Ventures, the investment arm of Orange Group, and Digital Africa, a pan-African organization fostering digital entrepreneurship, have announced a new co-investment initiative for startups emerging from the “Orange Digital Centres” network.
Nigerian payment service provider Nomba has raised a $30 million Pre-Series B funding round to enable businesses to easily and securely receive customer payments across Africa.
