AXIAN Telecom Fibre Acquires 99.6% of Wananchi, Expands Footprint Across East Africa
The transaction marks a major milestone in Yas’s strategy, strengthening its presence across high growth fibre markets, with over one million home passed across the region.
AXIAN Telecom Fibre Ltd (“Yas”), a subsidiary of AXIAN Telecom Holding and Management PLC, has completed the acquisition of 99.63% of Wananchi Group (Holdings) Ltd (“Wananchi”) , one of East Africa’s leading fixed broadband and enterprise connectivity providers. The transaction marks a major milestone in Yas’s strategy, strengthening its presence across high growth fibre markets, with over one million homes passed across the region.
East Africa is one of the continent’s fastest-growing broadband regions, fuelled by rising data demand and accelerating enterprise digitalisation. The integration of Wananchi positions Yas to capture this momentum by delivering reliable, high-speed and inclusive connectivity across Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Malawi, and paving the way for future expansion into neighbouring markets. In Tanzania, this acquisition is expected to strengthen the company’s market position by leveraging synergies with Yas existing operations.
Operating under its well-established brands Zuku (consumer) and Simbanet (entreprise), Wananchi serves customers through an extensive fibre backbone and last-mile network. Under Yas’s ownership, the company will benefit from enhanced investment capacity and group-wide expertise to scale its Fiber To The Home (FTTH), Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) and cloud connectivity solutions across the region.
“Wananchi Group’s network, customer relationships, and local expertise align perfectly with our ambition to be a leader in broadband connectivity across Africa. Yas already has a strong presence in East Africa, and this acquisition builds on our deep understanding of the region’s opportunities and needs while giving us access to new vibrant markets in Kenya and Uganda. Together, we will unlock new potential for growth, innovation, and value creation—delivering better access and new digital services for the communities and businesses we serve.”
– Hassan Jaber, CEO, AXIAN Telecom
“Our goal is to build a leading pan-African broadband connectivity provider, and Wananchi’s addition is a big step forward. We are committed to bringing high-speed Internet to millions more Africans. Our strong performance so far, doubling of our fixed broadband base and achieving double-digit revenue and EBITDA growth, shows the strength of our model.”
– Bertrand Lacroix, CEO, AXIAN Telecom Fibre
Yas already operates in Tanzania, Madagascar, Comoros, Senegal and Togo. The integration of Wananchi will leverage Yas’s operational scale, investment capacity, and cross-market expertise. Continuity of employment and business operations will be maintained, ensuring a smooth transition for employees, customers, and partners as Wananchi begins its new chapter within the Yas family.
