AFRICA · INFRASTRUCTURE
Key Facts
—The double deal: Hassanein Hiridjee’s Axian group secured two financings in two days, one for telecoms and one for energy.
—Telecoms: Axian Telecom landed a 170-million-euro loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development to expand mobile and fibre in Senegal and Kenya.
—Energy: Axian Energy raised $60 million to grow renewable-power capacity across the continent.
—The owner: Axian is the vehicle of Hassanein Hiridjee, a billionaire from Madagascar, spanning telecoms, fintech and energy.
—The model: Build the infrastructure Africa lacks, and fund it with a mix of local and international capital.
—The theme: International money is increasingly underwriting the continent’s connectivity and power.
Hassanein Hiridjee’s Axian has lined up Axian African infrastructure financing on two fronts in two days, a 170-million-euro EBRD loan to expand telecoms in Senegal and Kenya and $60 million to grow renewable power, underscoring how global capital is funding the continent’s connectivity and energy.
Two financings in two days
Hassanein Hiridjee’s Axian group lined up two pieces of financing in the space of two days. Together they touch the two pillars of a modern economy, connectivity and power.
On one day, Axian Telecom secured a 170-million-euro loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. The money will expand mobile and fibre networks in Senegal and Kenya.
On the next, Axian Energy raised $60 million to grow renewable-power capacity across the continent. The pairing was striking in its speed.
Who is behind Axian
Axian is the vehicle of Hassanein Hiridjee, a billionaire from Madagascar. The group spans telecoms, fintech and energy.
Its model is simple to describe and hard to execute. Build the infrastructure Africa lacks, and fund it with a mix of local and international capital.
The latest deals show that template in motion. Development lenders and investors are willing to underwrite the build-out.
Wiring two key markets
The telecom loan targets Senegal and Kenya, two of Africa’s more dynamic digital markets. Both have young populations and rising data demand.
Fibre and mobile coverage are the rails for everything from mobile money to streaming. Extending them widens the on-ramp to the digital economy.
A development bank’s backing is also a signal. It tells other investors the project meets a high bar on governance and returns.
Powering the grid
The energy financing points at the other bottleneck, electricity. Much of Africa still lacks reliable power, and renewables are the fastest way to add it.
Axian Energy’s $60 million is aimed at expanding clean generation across several markets. Solar and other renewables can be built faster than large thermal plants.
Power and connectivity reinforce each other. Networks need electricity, and electrified communities consume more data.
Axian African infrastructure, funded by global capital
The Axian deals fit a larger story we follow closely. International money is increasingly funding the continent’s hard infrastructure.
That contest, among lenders and investors of every flag, is reshaping who builds Africa and on what terms. Development banks, private funds and local champions are all in the mix.
For Axian, the week showed a group comfortable at the centre of it. Telecoms one day, clean energy the next.
Why development banks are leaning in
Lenders like the EBRD exist to back projects that markets alone might not fund. African infrastructure is squarely in their remit.
Their money often comes with standards attached, on governance, environment and transparency. That can raise the quality of a project.
It also crowds in private investors who take comfort from the due diligence. A development bank’s stamp lowers the perceived risk.
For groups like Axian, that backing is as valuable as the cash itself. It signals that a project meets an international bar.
That signal can unlock further rounds of funding.
The stakes for African growth
Connectivity and power are the foundations of modern economies. Without them, other ambitions stall.
Every new fibre line and solar plant widens the base on which businesses can build. The effects compound over time.
That is why infrastructure financing draws such attention. It is slow, unglamorous and decisive.
Axian’s two deals are small against the need, but they point in the right direction. The gap between ambition and capacity is closing, deal by deal.
Filling it is the work of a generation.
A model others are watching
Axian’s approach is being studied well beyond Madagascar. Pairing development finance with private ambition is a template for the continent.
Other operators face the same puzzle of funding costly infrastructure in frontier markets. The Axian playbook offers one answer.
It rests on credibility with lenders and a willingness to build for the long term. Neither is easy to acquire.
Where it works, it can wire and power whole regions. Where it falters, projects stall for want of capital.
The coming years will show how far the model can stretch.
Frequently asked questions
What did Axian raise?
Axian Telecom secured a 170-million-euro EBRD loan for mobile and fibre networks, and Axian Energy raised $60 million for renewable power, within two days.
Who owns Axian?
Hassanein Hiridjee, a billionaire from Madagascar. His group spans telecoms, fintech and energy.
Where will the telecom money go?
Into expanding mobile and fibre networks in Senegal and Kenya.
What is the energy financing for?
Expanding renewable-power capacity across several African markets.
Why does this matter?
It shows international capital underwriting African connectivity and power, the two pillars of the continent’s digital growth.
Connected Coverage
This build-out is part of the contest we track in Africa: The New Scramble. See more from across Africa, including Bharti Airtels $2.9 billion move on Airtel Africa.
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