Abu Dhabi artificial intelligence major G42 has partnered with Microsoft to jointly invest $1 billion in Kenya's digital ecosystem, in what is being described as the “single-largest” investment in the East African nation's technology sector.
The investment will focus on developing a sustainable data centre that will be built by G42 and run Microsoft's Azure service, serving as the US tech company's new cloud region in East Africa, Microsoft said in a statement on Wednesday.
“This represents the single-largest and broadest digital investment in Kenya’s history and reflects our confidence in the country, the government, its people and the future of East Africa,” Brad Smith, vice chair and president of Microsoft, said.
G42 and Microsoft did not provide details on subsequent investments and when these would be made.
The Kenya investment also marks the latest major collaboration between the two technology companies, after Microsoft announced a $1.5 billion investment in G42 in April.
G42 and Microsoft will focus on developing local-language AI models, connectivity investments, the creation of an innovation hub for East Africa, cybersecurity and collaboration with Nairobi to support secure cloud services across the region, the statement said.
These will specifically include providing internet access to 20 million people in Kenya and 50 million people across East Africa by the end of 2025, and collaboration with regional educational institutions, including the Mohammed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence in Abu Dhabi.
The partnership will be formalised on Friday during Kenyan President William Ruto's scheduled visit to Washington, in which a letter of intent will be signed between G42, Microsoft and Kenya’s Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy.
The data centre will become operational within 24 months of the signing of definitive agreements, Microsoft said.
The investment is expected to “usher in a transformative era for the digital ecosystem … providing the foundation for a thriving digital economy across the region”, said Peng Xiao, group chief executive of G42.
Kenya, East Africa's largest economy, is considered the regional ICT hub of the region, with IT-enabled services accounting for up to 7 per cent of the nation's economy, latest data from the US International Trade Administration shows.
The country has implemented a number of programmes to support the industry.
In 2022, the government unveiled the 10-year Digital Masterplan, which seeks to enhance digital infrastructure, services, management, skills and entrepreneurship.
Kenya had allocated $132 million for ICT initiatives in the fiscal year 2022-2023, the country's treasury department said in its annual report.
The investment from G42 and Microsoft will boost Kenya's ICT status and give “every citizen … the opportunity to thrive in the global digital landscape”, Mr Ruto said.
By extension, it will also serve as an additional avenue of co-operation between the UAE, the US and Kenya.
In February, the UAE and Kenya concluded negotiations for a comprehensive economic partnership agreement. Last month, they signed an investment pact to bolster the African nation's mining and technology sectors.
The US State Department, meanwhile, has described Kenya's economy as having a “positive investment climate”.
The co-operation between the three countries would “bridge the digital divide … and pave the way for a thriving digital economy that benefits the entire African continent and beyond”, Mr Ruto added.
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David Haye record
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Abandon
Sangeeta Bandyopadhyay
Translated by Arunava Sinha
Tilted Axis Press
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
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Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
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Producer: Ronnie Screwvala
Director: Akarsh Khurana
Starring: Irrfan Khan, Dulquer Salmaan, Mithila Palkar
Rating: 4/5
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
Traits of Chinese zodiac animals
Tiger:independent, successful, volatile
Rat:witty, creative, charming
Ox:diligent, perseverent, conservative
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Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
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PSA DUBAI WORLD SERIES FINALS LINE-UP
Men’s:
Mohamed El Shorbagy (EGY)
Ali Farag (EGY)
Simon Rosner (GER)
Tarek Momen (EGY)
Miguel Angel Rodriguez (COL)
Gregory Gaultier (FRA)
Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY)
Nick Matthew (ENG)
Women's:
Nour El Sherbini (EGY)
Raneem El Welily (EGY)
Nour El Tayeb (EGY)
Laura Massaro (ENG)
Joelle King (NZE)
Camille Serme (FRA)
Nouran Gohar (EGY)
Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG)
Key findings
- Over a period of seven years, a team of scientists analysed dietary data from 50,000 North American adults.
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Losses: 33
Liverpool's all-time goalscorers
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Roger Hunt 285
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Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
About Housecall
Date started: July 2020
Founders: Omar and Humaid Alzaabi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: HealthTech
# of staff: 10
Funding to date: Self-funded
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
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HIJRA
Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
About Takalam
Date started: early 2020
Founders: Khawla Hammad and Inas Abu Shashieh
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: HealthTech and wellness
Number of staff: 4
Funding to date: Bootstrapped
RESULT
Brazil 2 Croatia 0
Brazil: Neymar (69'), Firmino (90' 3)
How to get exposure to gold
Although you can buy gold easily on the Dubai markets, the problem with buying physical bars, coins or jewellery is that you then have storage, security and insurance issues.
A far easier option is to invest in a low-cost exchange traded fund (ETF) that invests in the precious metal instead, for example, ETFS Physical Gold (PHAU) and iShares Physical Gold (SGLN) both track physical gold. The VanEck Vectors Gold Miners ETF invests directly in mining companies.
Alternatively, BlackRock Gold & General seeks to achieve long-term capital growth primarily through an actively managed portfolio of gold mining, commodity and precious-metal related shares. Its largest portfolio holdings include gold miners Newcrest Mining, Barrick Gold Corp, Agnico Eagle Mines and the NewMont Goldcorp.
Brave investors could take on the added risk of buying individual gold mining stocks, many of which have performed wonderfully well lately.
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However, buying individual equities like these is highly risky, as their share prices can crash just as quickly, which isn't what what you want from a supposedly safe haven.
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