Hassanein Hiridjee, the Madagascar billionaire behind Axian Group, is expanding the company’s data center in Senegal, betting that Africa’s accelerating demand for artificial intelligence and cloud computing will expose a deeper shortage of local server capacity. Stellarix, Axian’s data center arm, is adding server space at its Dakar facility.

The expansion is designed to support corporate workloads and keep sensitive public records on local soil, as governments tighten data sovereignty rules. Axian did not disclose the investment or additional capacity. French contractor Snef, regional builder SERTEM Groupe and Kent Data Centres are handling the project, underscoring its infrastructure-heavy scope.

Africa’s server shortage grows

The push comes as African governments increasingly require citizen records, tax files and state data to remain within national borders. Yet data centers need reliable electricity, advanced cooling and dense fiber networks, infrastructure that remains limited across much of the continent. Hiridjee has said Stellarix still has roughly 35 countries to address.

Stellarix operates carrier-neutral facilities with Tier III reliability ratings in Senegal, Tanzania, Ivory Coast and Madagascar. In Senegal, Axian is tying its data center directly to the power and fiber infrastructure needed to keep servers running. The group’s Yas telecom business is also deploying fiber across Senegal and Kenya with 170 million euros from the EBRD.

Power, fiber and servers

Axian’s energy assets add another layer to the strategy. In southern Senegal, Axian Energy recently completed financing for the 60-megawatt NEA Kolda solar project, paired with 72 megawatt-hours of battery storage. The project is described as West Africa’s largest solar-plus-storage facility, giving Axian greater control over a critical input for data centers.

That vertical integration is central to Hiridjee’s infrastructure strategy. Axian controls telecom networks, power generation and the physical facilities that house computing equipment. The group has raised hundreds of millions of dollars from multilateral development lenders to finance projects spanning cell towers, data centers, solar arrays, rural mini-grids and electric-vehicle charging infrastructure.

A broader infrastructure bet

Axian operates across telecoms, real estate, energy, financial services and fintech, with 22 brands and 9,700 employees across Africa and the Indian Ocean. The group reported $2.75 billion in 2024 turnover and has invested about $1 billion in its operations. Axian Telecom serves 11 markets and manages about 3,500 towers.

Hiridjee built Axian from a family trading business in Antananarivo into a regional infrastructure group focused on assets that underpin the digital economy. Its energy arm operates 350 megawatts of clean power and targets 2 gigawatts by 2030. In Senegal, the latest data center expansion puts that infrastructure strategy directly behind Africa’s AI ambitions.