Cassava Technologies, a global technology leader of African heritage, and Vambo AI, a pioneering African AI startup, have announced a strategic partnership to develop and deploy cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) solutions tailored to Africa’s diverse needs.

The partnership, formalized through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), will see Vambo AI leveraging Cassava’s advanced AI Factory, equipped with NVIDIA GPU-based supercomputers, to accelerate the creation and distribution of African-trained language models and related AI systems. This collaboration promises to unlock new opportunities for innovation and growth across various industries, including education, healthcare, government, fintech, and the creative sector.

At the heart of this partnership is the development of a family of open-source large language models specifically designed for African languages and contexts. The Jua Series, as it’s called, will enable developers, researchers, and enterprises to build inclusive, culturally intelligent AI applications that reflect Africa’s rich linguistic and cultural diversity.

“This is more than a partnership, it’s a continental milestone,” said Chido Dzinotyiwei, Co-founder and CEO of Vambo AI. “Together with Cassava Technologies, we are setting the standard for what it means to build AI that truly reflects and serves Africa. We’re not just building tools, we’re building the future.”

The partnership also promises to be a breakthrough for the open-source AI community, setting a precedent for responsible, transparent, and collaborative development. With the Jua Series being released under a permissive license, African developers and researchers will have access to foundational tools that reflect their realities and power contextually relevant applications.

Ahmed El Beheiry, CEO of Cassava Intelligence, emphasized the significance of this partnership, saying, “Cassava is pleased to partner with Vambo AI, an African startup making an incredible contribution to the continent’s AI ecosystem. Our advanced compute power and AI capabilities, combined with Vambo AI’s goal of enabling the first Africa-native large language model series, reflect both organizations’ commitment to Africa’s digital advancement and to positioning the continent as a key contributor to global AI innovation.”

This partnership follows the April 2025 Global AI Summit on Africa, underscoring the momentum behind locally driven, globally competitive AI ecosystems. Cassava and Vambo AI’s mutual commitment to building the infrastructure and intelligence to power Africa’s digital and economic transformation reflects a growing consensus that African technologies are playing an essential role in Africa’s future, and collaboration is the fastest path forward.

As the African AI landscape continues to evolve, this partnership is poised to play a pivotal role in shaping the continent’s digital future, empowering businesses, institutions, and individuals to build contextually relevant AI applications that drive innovation and growth.