The U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) will become an investor in WIOCC Group alongside the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) and Vision Invest, the company revealed on September 22, 2026. This development comes after AFC and Vision Invest pledged $300 million in funding earlier that month during an AFC-hosted roundtable at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The DFC’s entry is subject to congressional approval and additional steps, leaving the funding as a potential rather than a guaranteed contribution.
The DFC’s goals include boosting digital infrastructure across Africa while helping American technology firms, such as cloud providers and hyperscalers, gain a stronger foothold in the region’s expanding market. WIOCC’s current shareholders consist of African national operators, some with state ties, and the International Finance Corporation. The new investment would introduce U.S. development financing alongside Saudi capital from Vision Invest. Operating in 30 African countries, WIOCC delivers subsea capacity, terrestrial fibre and, through its OpenAccess Data Centres arm, colocation.
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Chris Wood, WIOCC’s CEO, outlined the company’s expansion priorities: data centers will take precedence, followed by fiber network upgrades and the addition of new subsea assets. This strategy responds to persistent gaps in African digital infrastructure. As of 2025, internet access reaches only 35.7% of the continent’s population, far below the global average of 73.6%. Meanwhile, the AI sector is expected to grow to a $4.8 trillion market by 2033, though critical infrastructure supporting AI development remains concentrated in select regions.
Whether this one closes is a matter for the U.S. Congress, and the company has not said when it expects an answer.
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