Cassava Technologies and AXON launch Africa’s first AI-driven ‘Operator-as-a-Service’ platform

In a landmark move for the continent’s digital infrastructure, Cassava Technologies and AXON Networks have announced a strategic partnership to develop Africa’s first end-to-end “Operator-as-a-Service” (OaaS) platform.

The announcement was made during the Counder Conference 2026 in Cape Town, South Africa, an event that gathered 500 global investors and corporate decision-makers.

By combining AXON’s intelligent network platforms with Cassava’s vast high-speed fibre backbone, the collaboration aims to connect millions of businesses and individuals through a system that is “AI-ready” and fully programmable.

Historically, managing large-scale networks has involved manual configurations that can take days or weeks to implement.

However, this new partnership intends to move beyond “hardware-centric” infrastructure. Using AXON’s digital twin technology, the companies will create a living, dynamic model of Cassava’s network, which spans more than 110,000 km of terrestrial and submarine fibre, alongside satellite and wireless capacity.

Hardy Pemhiwa, President and Group CEO of Cassava Technologies, explained the shift, stating: “This transformation allows us to treat our pan-continental fibre network as a dynamic digital platform, enabling us to provision and modify customer networks in near real-time, rather than days or weeks.”

He added that the move would “significantly reduce operational costs” for businesses of all sizes.

Supporting the ‘AI Economy’

The OaaS platform is designed to be a foundation for the “AI economy” in Africa. By turning networks into self-learning and autonomous systems, the technology allows service providers—including mobile operators, LEO satellite providers, and ISPs—to scale their reach with unprecedented agility.

The newly announced platform is designed to revolutionize the continent’s digital landscape by leveraging AI for real-time optimization, which effectively automates complex configurations and reduces operational overhead.

Central to this initiative is infrastructure virtualization, where the entirety of physical networks is mirrored into a live, AI-driven digital twin ecosystem to allow for near-instantaneous modifications.

Ultimately, these advancements are geared toward securing economic sovereignty for the region, as the project aims to establish true “AI sovereignty” by hosting and managing critical data infrastructure locally rather than relying on external hubs.

A vision for future generations

Martin Manniche, CEO and founder of AXON Networks, described the scale of the integration as “incredibly exciting,” noting that it leverages Cassava’s planned “AI-powered factory.” He stated: “We’re not just mirroring networks—we’re virtualising an entire infrastructure… to bring growth, prosperity, and the promise of AI sovereignty to Africa.”

Furthermore, the leadership at Counder, Michel Weiss and Leonard Stiegeler, highlighted that the conference was the ideal platform for such a “groundbreaking announcement.”

They noted that the partnership exemplifies the conference’s mission to connect visionary leaders to “drive tangible impact.”

As the rollout begins, the partnership is expected to redefine the digital transformation journey for African businesses, providing the secure, private, and high-speed data infrastructure necessary for the next generation of innovation.