Dubai-based firm to invest $1.6bn in Africa AI and farms

Maser Group, a closely held Dubai-based company, is pivoting to investment in farmland and data centres across Africa as demand for technology infrastructure and the need for food security surge.

The maker of consumer electronics such as television sets has committed to investing $1.6 billion in Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya over the next 24 months, to plug the continent’s food and digital infrastructure deficits, founder and chair Prateek Suri said. Maser has already spent $300 million on acquiring land and other asset-backed projects.

Its unit MDR Investments LLC and Chia Ventures of China will provide most of the required funding, Suri said. In addition, MDR, which has a $500 million fund, is pursuing public-private partnerships with Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Rwanda and Nigeria in industries including mining, low-cost housing and agriculture, he said on 2 February in a virtual interview.

“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,” Suri said.

In 2023, the continent spent more than $83 billion importing foodstuffs, according to the UN Economic Commission for Africa. The region’s data centre demand is expected to rise to about 2.2 gigawatts by 2030 from just 0.4 gigawatts, requiring as much as $20 billion in fresh investment, according to McKinsey & Co.

Suri has a 56% stake in Maser Group, which he founded in 2014. It has operations in Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, South Africa and Egypt selling household appliances such as washing machines and refrigerators.

Other investors are People’s Insurance of China-backed Chia Ventures with 30% and TPA Electronics with a 14% stake.

© 2026 Bloomberg

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