Inspired by Africa’s ‘Tree of Life’, Bayobab (formerly MTN GlobalConnect) is committed to providing Africa with next-gen digital solutions across its vast regions. With a foundation rooted in partnerships and a vision marked by ambitious and bold initiatives, Bayobab has successfully merged its rich heritage with its forward-looking aspirations.
Like the roots of the baobab tree that merge to form a single trunk, Bayobab is connecting Africa by converging strategic, global, and local partnerships to work in harmony. Ultimately, Bayobab sees connectivity and possibility.
Bayobab: Transforming Innovation into Business Value
The Bayobab narrative takes inspiration from Africa's majestic Adansonia digitata tree. Just as the baobab tree can grow to monumental sizes and thrive for millennia, the brand embodies a commitment to enduring vision and long-term investments.
Symbolized by the baobab tree, the brand's roots and expansive branches represent the foundational pillars of the business: Bayobab Fibre and Bayobab Communication Platforms. These pillars serve as the bedrock of its operations, propelling it forward with strength and resilience.
Bayobab's influence extends through the delivery of tens of thousands of terabytes of data via its central communication platforms. Bayobab Fibre acts as the digital gateway to Africa, reinforcing its ecosystem by forging connections with GSMs and their extensive subscriber networks. This distinctive business model sets it apart, positioning Bayobab as the exclusive company dedicated to providing digital solutions at both ends of the connectivity spectrum.
Bayobab: Firmly Rooted in Partnership
Collaborations are defining moments, and Bayobab has built its legacy on attracting like-minded partners. It has strategically aligned with global industry leaders, cementing its reputation as a trusted collaborator in the digital landscape.
Bayobab’s recent partnership with Africa50, an affiliate of the African Development Bank, is of great significance. The partnership represents a significant investment of up to USD 320 million in the development of a pan-African terrestrial fibre network known as Project East2West. The initiative intends to roll out proprietary fibre across ten countries from 2023 to 2025, bridging Africa's connectivity gap and promoting inter-regional exchanges, while meeting the rising data demands of its customers.
Bayobab is poised to continue shaping Africa's digital landscape, forging meaningful partnerships, and inspiring creative solutions to further connect the continent.
Bayobab: Transforming Africa's Digital Landscape
Bayobab is increasing its influence across the African continent to strategically position itself as the most significant African carrier on a mission to connect Africa.
This transformation journey mirrors Bayobab's unwavering dedication to achieving the strategic goal of deploying 135,000 kilometers of proprietary fibre. Presently, it has already laid down 112,000 kilometers of fibre and is committed to further investments in advancing this initiative.
To foster stronger connections with stakeholders in various regions, Bayobab has established local offices. In line with its business strategy, it has expanded operations into eight key African nations: Kenya, Ghana, Zambia, Nigeria, Uganda, Côte d'Ivoire, South Africa, and the Central African Republic. Furthermore, each of its FibreCos are actively enhancing their roles to harness distinct business potential within Bayobab's broader expansion strategies.
Bayobab: Strategic Expansion
Bayobab established a significant partnership with the Central African Republic (CAR) government to manage the national fibre infrastructure, securing the CAR PPP License—a substantial achievement. CAR was strategically selected based on the most efficient routing option to establish a full link between East and West Africa, playing a crucial role in expanding existing fibre routes and creating new routes to connect various parts of the continent. Bayobab believes that Africa’s connectivity relies on strategic partnerships to foster innovation, expand the African digital economy, and impact growth in the countries where it operates.
This public-private partnership leverages the strengths of the public and private sectors simultaneously, paving the way for the expansion of access to connectivity to underserved populations. The partnership between Bayobab and the CAR Government also plays a key role in enabling one of the Project East2West projected routes.
Bayobab also earned an International Network License in Zambia and obtained a National Long-Distance Operator License in Nigeria. The license empowers Bayobab Zambia to seamlessly transport fibre capacity between neighbouring nations. This supports the company's ability to connect people and businesses, and fuels innovation, collaboration, and economic growth in the region.
This milestone marks a significant breakthrough for Bayobab Zambia, opening new doors and strengthening its position in transforming Zambia into the digital hub of Southern Africa. With a population exceeding 19 million, the connectivity landscape in Zambia continues to undergo significant digital transformations that plays a role in shaping how the country accesses information, conducts business and engages in various aspects of modern life.
Nigeria is regarded as Africa’s largest ICT market with about 82% of the continent’s telecoms subscribers and 29% of internet usage on the continent. Nigeria’s connectivity landscape has undergone remarkable growth, altering how its population accesses information, conducts business and engages globally.
With a population exceeding 200 million, as reported by GSMA Intelligence, the adoption of digital services by governments, businesses, and consumers is fundamentally reshaping daily life in Nigeria. Mobile technology is playing an instrumental role in the nation's economy, where mobile broadband is the predominant means of internet access, unlocking a realm of new possibilities. The ensuing surge in digital services, ranging from the realms of mobile financial solutions to dynamic e-learning platforms, has ushered in a revolution, influencing the way Nigerians engage with essential services, consequently fuelling an escalated demand for data. Bayobab Nigeria will play a pivotal role in fortifying the nation's digital infrastructure.
Bayobab is on a mission is to connect Africa while creating business value through strategic partnerships and deliberate expansion plans, significantly shaping the evolution of Africa's digital landscape.