Konza Technopolis has partnered with China’s Guodong Network to accelerate the tech city’s digital infrastructure. The deal, signed by Technopolis Development Authority CEO John Paul Okwiri and Guodong Network Communications Group Chairman and President Jie Lue, establishes a framework for cooperation on the planning, investment, financing, design, development and maintenance of advanced digital infrastructure.
The agreement intends to accelerate development of next-generation digital infrastructure at Konza Technopolis.
The partnership seeks to set up on key technologies including cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing, alongside smart-city solutions designed to support sustainable urban development.
The two organisations will also explore knowledge transfer and local capacity-building initiatives aimed at strengthening technical expertise and developing capabilities within Kenya’s digital ecosystem.
In addition, the agreement provides for the exploration of innovative investment and financing models to support future digital infrastructure projects at Konza Technopolis.
This partnership seeks to strengthen Konza Technopolis’ role as a hub for digital transformation, innovation and technology-driven economic development.
Chinese digital infrastructure company Guodong Group is also considering establishing its Africa headquarters in Kenya as part of an investment programme worth up to KSh38.8 billion ($300 million). This follows talks between the Chinese firm and Principal Secretary for Investment Promotion Abubakar Hassan on August 17, 2026, in Nairobi.
The investment will target telecommunications towers, smart cities, data centres, fibre networks, and cloud infrastructure. Kenya’s Digital Superhighway programme targets laying about 100,000 kilometres of fibre optic cable nationwide.
Konza Technopolis is a flagship project of the Government of Kenya, developing as a Science Park and Area of Innovation within largest smart city project in East and Central Africa.
KONZA CITY FEATURES
Located 60 kilometres southeast of Nairobi, Konza Technopolis features a 5,000-acre master-planned city set to foster science, innovation, technology, and commercialization to drive economic growth.
Popularly known as the “Silicon Savannah,” Konza Technopolis aims to establish Kenya as a leading technology hub by creating a sustainable, digitally driven city with state-of-the-art infrastructure.
A vision 2030 project, Konza Technopolis is managed by the Konza Technopolis Development Authority under the Ministry of Information, Communications, and the Digital Economy. It aims to contribute at least 2% of the national GDP.
Founded in 1997, Guodong Group is China’s largest private operator of telecommunication tower infrastructure. In 2008, it pioneered the “Guodong Model” of co-construction and sharing for telecommunication infrastructure.
The group has established provincial subsidiaries in all 31 provinces (municipalities) across China and over 300 prefectural business departments.
It has invested in and built more than 55,000 telecommunication towers, ranking 7th globally in tower portfolio (and 4th among independent tower companies worldwide). With assets valued at over tens of billions of RMB, Guodong has been recognized as a Unicorn Enterprise of Jiangsu Province consecutively in 2024 and 2025.
Guodong is committed to creating a better connected world—from accelerating the investment and construction of telecommunication infrastructure to solidify the foundation for the Internet of Everything; to leading new energy interconnection through green innovation for global top-tier distributed energy scenario sharing; and further to promoting digital-intelligent transformation for government and enterprise sectors, collectively empowering a data-driven future.
With an increasingly open mindset, Guodong is fostering broader cooperation, enabling more scenario sharing, and embracing win-win outcomes across more fields.
Today, closely following China’s “Belt and Road” strategy, Guodong is actively expanding into overseas markets.
It has established companies or representative offices in over 30 key countries/regions, including Southeast Asia, Central Asia, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, steadily integrating into the global telecommunication infrastructure network.
In the digital era, Guodong is accelerating the construction of its “One Body, Two Wings” business strategic layout, focusing on communication towers as the core, with new energy and digital-intelligent informatization as the two supporting wings.
This strategy aims to contribute Guodong’s wisdom to a new concept of integrated communication services, bolster the communication foundation for the “Internet of Everything,” and deliver Guodong’s value in empowering innovative practices for the global digital economy.
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