Microsoft exceeds its 2025 connectivity target and partners with AfDB to accelerate digital and agricultural transformation across Africa

During the B20 South Africa Summit last week, Microsoft revealed that it has now connected more than 117 million people in Africa to the internet, surpassing its original 2025 goal

The company also announced a new partnership with the African Development Bank to strengthen small and medium enterprises in the agriculture sector through a combination of financing support and technological solutions.

Bridging the digital divide

Microsoft’s expanded connectivity efforts stem from a commitment made in 2022 to broaden internet access and provide digital skills training across Africa. The achievement was made possible through collaborations with regional Internet Service Providers, hardware manufacturers, and global development organisations. This milestone marks a significant leap forward in narrowing Africa’s digital divide and advancing inclusive socioeconomic development.

“Connectivity is a key enabler for AI adoption and inclusive growth,” Melanie Nakagawa, chief sustainability officer, Microsoft said. “Without access to the internet, the promise of technology remains out of reach. To meaningfully participate in this moment of transformation, we must also empower people with the skills to use these digital tools.”

Microsoft plans to integrate increased connectivity with AI-powered solutions designed to advance economic opportunities. Expanded internet access has already delivered tangible improvements: enhanced patient care through video consultations in rural Kenya, more affordable devices and youth gaming hubs in South Africa, and high-speed broadband paired with free public Wi-Fi to support community learning and local business engagement.

Transforming African agriculture through digital innovation

Microsoft also confirmed its support for the African Development Bank’s creation of a continent-wide financing mechanism dedicated to agricultural SMEs. This fund will merge financial resources with improved digital infrastructure to strengthen productivity and enhance climate resilience, leveraging both Microsoft’s technology capabilities and AfDB’s financial expertise.

Digital connectivity, paired with AI tools, is positioned as a catalyst for growth, resilience and broader participation across African economies. Microsoft noted that the continent’s growing digital ecosystem — together with the launch of the AfDB Financing Agribusiness SME Trust Fund — illustrates how coordinated financial and technological efforts can scale solutions. As the company emphasized, no single organization can eliminate the digital divide or fully unlock AI-driven opportunity on its own.

This partnership further positions Ghana as one of Africa’s most internationally connected countries

CSquared, a pan-African technology company dedicated to enhancing digital connectivity across the continent, has officially submitted its application to join LINX Accra, Ghana’s newly established Internet Exchange Point (IXP)

The move aligns with CSquared’s broader mission to foster a more inclusive and interconnected Africa and follows the company’s recent expansion of its West African fibre network.

Operated by the London Internet Exchange (LINX), LINX Accra is a fully redundant, multi-site interconnection hub built to future-proof digital services and strengthen Ghana’s connectivity landscape. The exchange currently operates at Onix and PAIX data centres, with a third site planned at Digital Realty’s ACR2 facility. LINX Accra provides low-latency, cost-efficient peering solutions that keep local traffic local, reducing dependence on international transit routes.

Jennifer Holmes, CEO of LINX, said, “Having CSquared not only as a new network to the LINX community, but as one of our first champions connecting to LINX Accra is amazing. We value the support of such a key player in the region for connectivity.”

CSquared’s application follows its significant infrastructure achievement: the deployment of a strategic cross-border fibre backbone across West Africa. This network connects coastal and landlocked nations, including Ghana, Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, and Burkina Faso, delivering high-capacity, low-latency connectivity that complements subsea cable systems such as Equiano, where CSquared serves as the landing partner in the Republic of Togo.

“Joining LINX Accra is a natural step in our journey to empower Africa’s digital future,” said Ian Paterson, CEO of CSquared.

“Our expanded fibre backbone is designed to reduce single points of failure and deliver resilient, scalable connectivity. By peering locally in Ghana, we’re helping to build a stronger, more efficient Internet ecosystem for the region.”

The combination of CSquared’s terrestrial fibre network with LINX Accra’s interconnection platform is expected to accelerate digital transformation, support local ISPs and enterprises, and attract global digital services to West Africa. This partnership further positions Ghana as one of Africa’s most internationally connected countries, leveraging its strategic location, thriving technology ecosystem, and robust digital infrastructure.

Fast, secure cloud connections across providers

AWS has announced the preview of AWS Interconnect – multicloud, a solution designed to provide simple, resilient, high-speed private connections to other cloud service providers (CSPs)

Google Cloud will be the first launch partner, with Microsoft Azure following later in 2026

As customers increasingly adopt multicloud strategies and migrate more applications to the cloud, they seek greater interoperability, flexibility to choose the technology that best meets their needs, and faster deployment across diverse environments. Previously, connecting workloads across multiple cloud providers required a “do-it-yourself” multicloud approach, creating complexity in managing large-scale, multi-layered networks globally.

AWS Interconnect – multicloud is the first purpose-built product of its kind, redefining how clouds connect and communicate. It allows customers to rapidly establish private, secure, high-speed network connections with dedicated bandwidth and built-in resiliency between Amazon VPCs and other cloud environments. This solution simplifies integration with AWS networking services, including AWS Transit Gateway, AWS Cloud WAN, and Amazon VPC, enabling connections to other CSPs in days instead of weeks or months.

Currently, Interconnect – multicloud is available in preview across five AWS Regions. Customers can enable the capability directly via the AWS Management Console, while CSPs can adopt it using a published open API package available on GitHub. For further details, see the AWS Interconnect – multicloud documentation pages.

Digital booking access to Jambojet's East African routes marks a major step in modernising regional air cargo

Freightos, the global leader in digital freight booking and payments, has expanded its reach in East Africa through a new partnership with Jambojet Cargo, Kenya's leading regional airline cargo operator

Jambojet Cargo is now live on the WebCargo by Freightos platform, allowing freight forwarders to book cargo capacity digitally across the airline's extensive East African network.

With this integration, WebCargo users gain immediate digital access to Jambojet Cargo services across nine major routes that link key commercial hubs in Kenya and Tanzania. Operating from its main base in Nairobi, Jambojet connects to Mombasa, Kisumu, Eldoret, Malindi, Diani, Lamu and Zanzibar. In the future, the airline's capacity will also be made available for interlining agreements. Jambojet Cargo handles a wide variety of shipments including fresh produce, pharmaceuticals and e-commerce goods, supporting regional supply chains and cross border trade.

By joining WebCargo by Freightos, freight forwarders can now compare real time rates, confirm bookings instantly and manage their cargo online. This improves visibility, reduces manual processes and helps ensure a faster and more reliable service experience. Freightos currently handles an annualized run rate of more than 1.6 million transactions on its platform.

"Partnering with Jambojet Cargo expands WebCargo by Freightos' reach in one of Africa's most dynamic logistics markets," said Zvi Schreiber, CEO of Freightos.

"By bringing more regional carriers online, we're continuing Freightos' mission to make global trade smoother and more efficient helping forwarders and shippers access the capacity they need, when they need it and where they need it."

"Digitalization is reshaping air cargo across Africa, and Jambojet is proud to be at the forefront of this change, providing our customers with a modern and easy to use booking experience," said Karanja Ndegwa, managing director and CEO at Jambojet.

"By joining WebCargo by Freightos, we're giving freight forwarders faster, smoother, and more reliable access to our network supporting the region's expanding trade and connectivity. Looking ahead, we're excited to make our capacity available for interlining on WebCargo by Freightos' platform, helping strengthen links between African markets and the world."