Africa Data Centres,one of the data center service providers in Africa and boast of the continent’s first network of interconnected, carrier and cloud-neutral data center facilities has called for in-country hosting of cloud services across Africa. 

Dr. Krish Ranganath, Chief Technology Officer of Africa Data Centres, made the call at a Zoom Webinar with the theme ‘Bringing you to the Future: The Journey Towards a Cloud Lifestyle’, which was organised by CWG in partnership with Africa Data Centres and Zadara. 

He highlighted the benefits of In-House cloud services to include optimal service performance, improved network, data localisation, payment in local currency, in-country support and proximity to data.

“Many companies worry about losing control over their data when it moves to the cloud, but when your company’s data is stored at a local cloud data center, you always know where your data is and how it is being protected,” he said.

He maintained that localisation of data must be a priority when considering the adoption of cloud computing, as scalable cloud computing resources located within the region mean that companies can take advantage of the cloud without the drawbacks of moving workloads to data centers that are farther away.

Explained that some industries have regulatory and compliance requirements that mandate that data is maintained locally, the Africa Data Centres CTO stated that Nigeria and other African countries need to start trusting their business which is locally grown. Such a gesture, according to him will provide numerous employment opportunities for the young talents and improve the economy.

“If your cloud provider is close by, you can even visit the cloud data center. Taking a tour will allow you to see what security resources are in place and to better understand the people and processes that exist to keep your cloud workloads secure and running smoothly,” he added. 

Africa Data Centres is a business of Cassava Technologies Limited and a trusted partner to local and global enterprises for rapid and secure data centre services and interconnections in Africa. 

Africa Data Centres owns and operates Africa’s largest network of interconnected, carrier and cloud-neutral data centre facilities. Strategically located, our world-class data centre facilities provide a home for business-critical data for enterprises in Africa. The company boasts of services such as colocation, pay-per-use power, cross-connects, Internet exchange, Cloud connections and Partner ecosystem.

Equinix Inc, the world’s digital infrastructure company has acquired MainOne, West Africa’s data centre and connectivity solutions provider for £320 million as the American company prepares to enter the African market.

The acquisition is expected to close Q1 of 2022, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions including the requisite regulatory approvals. MainOne has presence in Nigeria, Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire.

Under the terms of the transaction, the management team, including CEO Funke Opeke, will continue to serve in their respective roles. With more than 200 million people, Nigeria is Africa’s largest economy and, along with Ghana, has become an established data centre hub.

Equinix believes MainOne to be one of the most exciting technology businesses to emerge from Africa. Founded by Funke Opeke in 2010, the company has enabled connectivity for the business community of Nigeria and now has digital infrastructure assets including three operational data centres, with an additional facility under construction expected to open in Q1 2022.

 Upon closing, these facilities will add more than 64,000 gross square feet of space to Platform Equinix, with 570,000 square feet of land for future expansions. MainOne owns and operates a subsea network from Nigeria to Portugal, as well as 1,200 kilometers of reliable terrestrial fiber network across southern Nigeria.

These are all improving connectivity to and from Europe, West African countries and the major business communities in Nigeria. When completed, this acquisition will extend Platform Equinix into West Africa, giving organizations based inside and outside of Africa access to one of the world’s fastest growing markets.

President and CEO, Equinix, Charles Meyers said: “The acquisition of MainOne will represent a critical point of entry for Platform Equinix into the expansive and rapidly growing African market. MainOne’s leading interconnection position and experienced management team represent critical assets in our aspirations to be the leading neutral provider of digital infrastructure in Africa.

“Growth of data consumption in Africa is amongst the fastest in the world, and our customers are looking for a trusted partner to pursue the opportunities presented by broad mobile adoption and greater connectivity across the region. MainOne’s infrastructure, customer relationships, partner ecosystem and operating capability will extend the reach of Platform Equinix and bolster opportunities for customers in Africa and throughout the world,” he added.

Africa Data Centres, the largest network of interconnected, carrier- and cloud-neutral data centre facilities on the continent, is pleased to announce that it has officially opened its new 10MW data centre facility in Lagos, Nigeria.

The new facility is the first of four faculties being earmarked for Nigeria, adding that the company has plans to also build an additional facility in Lagos at a separate location to ensure full disaster backup, whilst Abuja, and Port Harcourt will also get their own facilities.

The 10MW facility in Lagos is a key part of this expansion as Nigeria is a critical African market in terms of leading the charge for hyperscale customers to deploy digitisation solutions to West Africa.

 The chief executive officer of Africa Data Centres, Stephane Duproz said there is a rapidly-growing demand for data centres in the region, which is hungry for digitisation, as organisations of every type and size in Africa accelerate their digital transformation journeys.

With this in mind, Duproz describes the Lagos operations as a significant milestone for Africa Data Centres, as it shines the spotlight on the tremendous growth opportunity the company sees not only for its business in the region but for Africa as a whole.

“Africa Data Centre is witnessing an unprecedented demand for fintech services, apps, broadband, cloud technologies, and more, all of which are seeing data demand skyrocket.”

This latest announcement follows hard on the heels of Africa Data Centres recently announced, major data centre expansion plans that will see the company building hyperscale data centres throughout Africa.

 “These plans are the greatest Africa has ever seen. They will see us build some ten interconnected, cloud- and carrier-neutral data centres across the length and breadth of the continent, in an unmatched $500m investment in Africa’ digital transformation, which will double our already significant investment in the continent,” adds Duproz.

The Lagos facility will be the de facto hub for Africa Data Centres in West African, says Duproz. “We built this facility in response to the massive demand from hyperscalers, key cloud operators and multi-national enterprises that already use our facilities and have expressed interest in being a part of bringing digitisation at scale to West Africa. As the unquestioned leaders in data centre operations in Africa, we were the clear choice as partners in their expansion strategies.”

Duproz said the Nigerian data centres were part of a Continental network of data centres being rolled out in all the key cities of Africa.

However, Duproz stresses that there will be no question of sacrificing the environment to carry out the company’s ambitious digitisation plans. “This is a trade-off Africa Data Centres is simply not even prepared to entertain. Our strategy is all about empowering and uplifting Africa’s citizens, protecting the environment, and uplifting the economy.”

In closing, Duproz said this latest Nigerian facility will boost the economy through job creation, as digitisation is known to create job opportunities across a slew of industries.