From left: Sarah Buyaki – Chief People Officer, Farouk Ramji, CEO, John Omagwa, Chief Operating Officer, Millie Abila, Head of Communications & Marketing

Mawingu, East Africa’s largest Internet Service Provider (ISP) focused on rural and peri-urban
markets, has secured a $20 million [Sh2.6 billion] investment from Pembani Remgro Infrastructure Fund II
(PRIF II), a leading African infrastructure investment fund.

This strategic funding will
accelerate Mawingu’s mission to scale inclusive, sustainable internet access across
underserved communities in Africa.

The investment is a significant milestone in Mawingu’s long-term expansion strategy, which
aims to impact 1 million people across the continent by 2028 through a combination of
disciplined acquisitions of local ISPs and the development of digital infrastructure in areas
historically left behind due to high capital costs and geographic barriers.

“As a multi-country operator on the continent with dedicated presence in the rural and
peri-urban markets, this latest funding announcement marks a significant milestone for
Mawingu, moving closer to our goal of positively impacting 1 million people in Africa by
2028,” said Mawingu’s Chief Executive Officer, Farouk RAMJI.

Internet access has been shown to deliver benefits for education, employment, and income,
as well as promoting wider economic development.

Sarah Buyaki – Chief People Officer, Farouk Ramji, CEO

However, in many countries across the
continent, rural and peri-urban customers tend to be unserved or underserved by existing
broadband provision, and access costs can be prohibitively high.

To address this ‘digital gap,’
Mawingu, through a disciplined ‘buy-and-build’ strategy, acquires, builds, and operates
sustainable networks which can be deployed in challenging rural and peri-urban environments.

The identification and acquisition of other successful ISPs will rapidly broaden the scale of
Mawingu’s impact, enabling the company to expand its network to strategic markets across
the continent.


The expansion strategy builds on Mawingu’s successful entry into Tanzania through the 2024
acquisition of Habari.

Since the acquisition, Mawingu has secured a national license, added more than 3,000 home users, and extended Habari’s coverage to 9 regions, including Arusha,
Dodoma, Iringa, Manyara, Mara, Kilimanjaro, Mwanza, Morogoro and Shinyanga.

Leading the transaction from PRIF II’s perspective, Ridwaan TAYOB said, “Mawingu’s track record of disciplined growth and innovation in underserved markets
makes them an ideal partner for PRIF II. This investment reflects our confidence in their
ability to scale sustainably across Africa, and we’re excited to support their mission of
expanding meaningful connectivity where it’s needed most.”

The limited adoption of fixed broadband in Sub-Saharan Africa represents a missed
opportunity for inclusive digital and economic growth.

While mobile internet is more
widespread, household-level fixed broadband remains accessible to only around 12% of
households.

The World Bank has found that a 10% increase in broadband penetration can raise
GDP growth by 1.38% in developing countries.