Liquid C2, a unit of Cassava Technologies, has partnered with Google Cloud to establish Africa’s first Partner Experience Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa, marking a significant step in the continent’s digital infrastructure and Artificial Intelligence (AI) ecosystem development.
The facility is designed to accelerate the commercial adoption of AI and cloud solutions by enabling partners to develop, test and deploy enterprise-grade applications tailored to African markets.
The move comes as demand for digital transformation solutions gathers pace across the continent, driven by increased enterprise digitisation, fintech expansion and the need for data-driven operational efficiency.
Cassava Technologies president and CEO Hardy Pemhiwa said the initiative will help make AI more accessible across the continent.
“This is the first cloud and AI experience centre of its kind – not just in South Africa, but on the African continent,” he said. “Customers can bring their challenges, and we work together to develop solutions in real time.”
Strive Masiyiwa, the founder and executive chairman of Cassava Technologies, said infrastructure investment will be critical to unlocking AI-led growth.
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“AI will not develop through talk alone. It requires investment in infrastructure and practical implementation,” he said.
Masiyiwa said the launch of the Partner Experience Centre forms part of Cassava’s broader expansion into AI infrastructure, including plans for a large-scale AI data processing facility in Cape Town and additional rollouts in Kenya, Nigeria, Morocco and Egypt.
Industry analysts view such investments as critical to localising cloud services and reducing reliance on offshore infrastructure, a key constraint for African enterprises.
The centre provides access to advanced tools such as Google’s Gemini AI platform, allowing partners to prototype and scale solutions across sectors including financial services, healthcare and retail.
It also serves as a pipeline for skills development, supporting certification and expanding the pool of cloud and AI specialists – a segment currently in short supply across African markets.
Cassava Technologies senior vice-president Ziaad Suleman said the model integrates infrastructure, skills and distribution.
“This enables us to capture value across the digital ecosystem while lowering barriers for enterprises adopting advanced technologies,” he said.
Tara Brady, president of Google Cloud Europe, Middle East and Africa, said the partnership will help unlock new economic activity through technology-led innovation.
The initiative is structured around partner enablement, AI innovation and workforce development, with expected spillovers including job creation and increased competitiveness for African firms.
For Cassava, the development reinforces its strategy to evolve from a connectivity provider into a fully integrated digital services player, as competition intensifies in Africa’s cloud and data infrastructure market.