By The U.S. International Development Finance Corporation will invest up to $155 million in WIOCC Group, adding to recent backing from Africa Finance Corporation and Vision Invest for the expansion of digital infrastructure across Africa.
The DFC investment, announced on Sept. 16, is the agency’s largest equity investment to date, according to the U.S. development finance institution. WIOCC operates undersea cables, terrestrial fibre networks and data centres across more than 30 African countries.
The latest WIOCC Group investment brings together U.S., African and Saudi capital as demand for connectivity, cloud computing, data centres and artificial intelligence infrastructure increases across the continent.
The DFC said its investment is intended to strengthen critical digital infrastructure and support U.S. technology companies operating or expanding in Africa. The agency said WIOCC’s open-access, carrier-neutral platform provides wholesale connectivity, data centre and metro-fibre services.
DFC Chief Executive Officer Ben Black said the investment would support the development of digital infrastructure on trusted networks and American companies seeking to expand in African markets.
WIOCC’s latest financing follows a $300 million investment announced earlier this month by Africa Finance Corporation and Vision International Investment Company, also known as Vision Invest.
WIOCC said on Sept. 1 that AFC and Vision Invest had signed a shareholder subscription agreement providing the combined $300 million investment. The capital was intended to support data centre deployment and consolidation, expansion of terrestrial fibre networks and investment in selected subsea assets.
The DFC said it would invest alongside AFC and Vision Invest. AFC’s Sept. 21 announcement said the expanded investor group would support WIOCC’s longer-term strategy, including expansion of terrestrial and subsea networks, data centre capacity and its broader digital infrastructure platform.
The DFC investment comes as governments and private investors increase spending on the infrastructure needed to support Africa’s digital economy.
WIOCC describes itself as a carrier-neutral, open-access digital infrastructure platform. Its assets include subsea systems, terrestrial fibre, metro infrastructure and hyperscale data centres.
The company says it connects businesses, service providers and digital ecosystems across African and international markets.
According to WIOCC, the company has more than 115,000 km of terrestrial fibre and access to more than 200,000 km of subsea systems. It also operates or supports more than 40 core and edge data centres, with facilities in markets including South Africa, Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The company’s network also has a presence in Kenya. WIOCC’s shareholders include Telkom Kenya, alongside telecommunications operators and infrastructure institutions from other African markets.
The investment comes against a large connectivity gap across Africa. WIOCC, citing International Telecommunication Union data, said 35.7% of Africa’s population used the internet in 2025, compared with a global average of 73.6%.
The gap has increased interest in infrastructure that can improve the availability and capacity of internet networks while supporting data-intensive services such as cloud computing and AI.
For investors, digital infrastructure has increasingly become an important part of the broader technology and telecommunications investment landscape.
Subsea cables provide international connectivity, terrestrial fibre moves data across countries and cities, while data centres provide facilities where digital services and computing infrastructure can be hosted.
The WIOCC Group investment also reflects growing cooperation between development finance institutions and private infrastructure investors.
AFC, established in 2007, says it has invested more than $19 billion in 36 African countries since its creation and has 48 member countries. Its portfolio includes infrastructure sectors such as telecommunications, transport, energy and natural resources.
Vision Invest is a Saudi Arabian infrastructure investment and development company whose portfolio includes digital infrastructure, energy transition, transport and logistics, according to the company.
The DFC describes itself as the international investment arm of the U.S. government. Its Sept. 16 announcement said its wider package included more than $8 billion in new investments across several sectors.
The agency has also identified WIOCC as a platform that can support U.S. hyperscalers and the wider American technology ecosystem in Africa.
The DFC’s investment is part of a broader increase in U.S. engagement with African telecommunications and digital infrastructure.
Reuters reported last week that the agency’s support for WIOCC came as Washington seeks to back projects considered important to the expansion of U.S. technology companies in African markets.
For WIOCC, the new capital is expected to support expansion of its digital infrastructure platform as demand for connectivity and data capacity grows.
The company has not disclosed the combined value of the DFC, AFC and Vision Invest investments as a single transaction. The earlier AFC and Vision Invest agreement was valued at $300 million, while the DFC has separately approved an investment of up to $155 million.
The developments place WIOCC among African infrastructure companies attracting capital from multiple international development and investment institutions as the continent builds capacity for a more connected digital economy.
