NAIROBI, Kenya, April 26 – Ivhu Africa (Ivhu), an Australian developer of green supply chain infrastructure, has entered into a deal with Semiconductors Technologies LLC (STL) for the development of Sh14.85 billion ($110 million) semiconductor and microchip facilities.
The two units will be developed at the Dedan Kimathi Science and Technology Park in Nyeri County, the first science and technology park.
Maruza Chikwanha, Ivhu Africa founder and managing director, highlighted the value of the development, citing Africa’s green industrialization goals, transformative supply chain diversification, job creation, and the advancement of Kenya’s position as Africa’s Silicon Savannah.
“We are excited to be involved in the development of components critical to driving exponential technology in Africa, considering that 30% to 40% of the raw materials used in semiconductors are sourced from Africa,” Chikwanha said while announcing the deal during the recently concluded AmCham Business Summit.
“Starting with the first facility in Nyeri, we will be improving Kenya’s foreign direct investment inflows by putting in USD 10 million (KES. 1.35 billion) and impacting the community in a tangible way by creating more than 300 jobs within the construction phase, 80% of which will go to people who already live in the area,” he added.
“We expect to complete construction on the first building in Q3 of 2025, and begin development of a second facility, still in Nyeri, which will cost (USD 100 million) KES 13.5 billion.”
The deal is part of $400 million (Sh54 billion) that will be invested directly in the infrastructure and real estate required by STL across Sub-Saharan Africa over the next 6 years.
In addition to Kenya, the partnership will see the construction of nanofabrication plants and science centres in Nigeria, Uganda, Zambia, and Botswana.
Anthony Githinji, founder and MD of Semiconductors Technologies Limited, underscored the importance of building Africa’s capacity to contribute to the global technological race by improving physical infrastructure and human capital.
“Semiconductors and the facilities that are used for their development are incredibly complicated and often expensive requiring a special developer to put the facilities together. By the time we get to full operation of the first location built by Ivhu, we will increase our staff from 100 to 1,000,” said Githinji.
The collaboration with Ivhu is a crucial part of STL’s expansion plans as it adds a layer of home-grown industrial real estate expertise to their context-sensitive technological advancements.
Ivhu Africa owns, develops, manages, and leases outfit-for-purpose industrial real estate properties that provide essential supply chain infrastructure for businesses across the COMESA free trade area.
