Access Partnership and AfriTrade Join Forces to Accelerate East Africa’s Digital Infrastructure
The partnership brings together Access Partnership’s global expertise in technology policy, spectrum management, satellite licensing and economic advisory with AfriTrade’s regulatory experience and regional relationships in Kenya and the wider East African market.
Access Partnership and AfriTrade Consulting Group have formed an alliance to help companies, investors and governments secure licences and regulatory approvals for space, connectivity and digital infrastructure projects across East Africa.
The partnership brings together Access Partnership’s global expertise in technology policy, spectrum management, satellite licensing and economic advisory with AfriTrade’s regulatory experience and regional relationships in Kenya and the wider East African market. AfriTrade will also draw on support from its sister law firm, S&S Advocates, to help clients move projects from strategy and approvals to licensed operations.
The alliance will initially focus on satellite and telecommunications licensing, satellite gateways and ground stations, subsea cable landings and data centre approvals. Its scope is expected to expand to include artificial intelligence governance, digital government and broader market-entry services as regional demand develops.
The partnership comes as East Africa prepares for further investment in digital infrastructure. Kenya is expected to add two international subsea cables before 2027, while a 500-kilometre protected coastal cable connecting Mombasa and Lamu is planned for 2028. Direct-to-device satellite services are also arriving, and a US$1.5 billion AI data centre has been proposed for Mombasa.
These projects require regulatory clearances covering areas such as spectrum, landing rights and operating licences, which can delay infrastructure deployment. The alliance aims to help investors and operators navigate these processes and bring new services to market more quickly.
“East Africa is becoming one of the world’s most important digital gateways, by sea and by sky. Investors and operators need partners who understand both the global technology landscape and the realities on the ground. With Access Partnership, we can offer both, and help bring new connectivity to the region faster.”
– Dr Caroline Saroni, Chief Executive Officer, AfriTrade Consulting Group
“East Africa has the geography, the demand and the policy ambition to become one of the most important frontier technology markets of the next decade. What operators and investors need is a partner who can take them from strategy to licensed operation without losing a year in between. AfriTrade knows how things actually get done in Kenya and across the region. Together we can get new satellite, connectivity and digital infrastructure into market faster, and make sure the benefits land locally.”
– Andy Robb, Chief Space Officer, Access Partnership
Access Partnership has advised satellite operators, governments and investors on market access and licensing for 27 years. Its space advisory work covers areas ranging from national space strategies to spectrum policy and landing rights. Research conducted by the firm for the Southern African Development Community found that non-geostationary satellite systems could generate up to US$16.9 billion annually in economic benefits through improved internet coverage and use.
In August 2026, Access Partnership added Dr Sherif Sedky, former Chief Executive of the Egyptian Space Agency and former Chair of the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, to its network as a Senior Advisor.
AfriTrade Consulting Group has structured four of Kenya’s Special Economic Zones: Vipingo, Dongo Kundu, Naivasha and Vistari. It also led the regulatory, licensing and commercial groundwork for the LuLu coastal cable system and is developing it as part of the wider Vipingo digital gateway alongside S&S Advocates.
