Yas finalises acquisition of Wananchi to expand fibre leadership across Africa

By:  Nana Appiah Acquaye

AXIAN Telecom Fibre Ltd, trading as Yas, has completed the acquisition of a 99.63 percent stake in Wananchi Group Holdings Ltd, one of East Africa’s leading fixed broadband and enterprise connectivity providers. The completion of the deal significantly strengthens Yas’s fibre footprint across some of Africa’s fastest-growing broadband markets, marking a major milestone in the company’s expansion strategy.

Wananchi operates under the Zuku consumer brand and Simbanet enterprise brand, serving customers across Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Malawi through an extensive fibre backbone and last-mile network. Yas said the acquisition aligns with its ambition to accelerate high-speed broadband expansion across the continent and scale connectivity for homes and businesses in the region, with more than one million homes passed.

East Africa continues to record rapid broadband growth driven by rising data consumption, enterprise cloud adoption, and digital transformation across key industries. Yas expects the integration of Wananchi to enable deeper penetration in these markets while supporting future expansion into neighbouring countries. The acquisition is also set to reinforce Yas’s presence in Tanzania, where the company already operates.

AXIAN Telecom CEO Hassan Jaber said Wananchi’s capabilities, customer base and market presence complement Yas’s fibre strategy and provide access to new high-potential markets such as Kenya and Uganda. Bertrand Lacroix, CEO of AXIAN Telecom Fibre, said the deal represents a major step towards building a pan-African broadband champion, adding that the company will continue investing to expand high-speed internet for millions of Africans.

Yas currently operates in Tanzania, Madagascar, Comoros, Senegal and Togo. The company says employment, operations and customer service continuity will be maintained during the transition as Wananchi’s operations are integrated into the Yas portfolio.