Africa Data Centres pulls Rwanda into East Africa ecosystem
By MADUABUCHI EFEGADI
...builds new data centre in Kigali
Africa Data Centres, a business of Cassava Technologies, has concluded plans to build a new data centre in Kigali, the company’s first in Rwanda.
The facility, which will have 2MW of IT load and be purpose-built to meet growing demand in the continent, will be ready by the first quarter of 2023.
Africa Data Centres is Africa’s largest network of interconnected, carrier and cloud-neutral data centre facilities, bringing international experts to the pan-African market. It provides partnerships for rapid and secure data centre services and interconnections across the continent. Proudly African, the company’s facilities provide for all business-critical data.
The company said its aim is to unveil various business opportunities and to develop a strategic network of partnerships that will further strengthen its superiority in providing customers with the highest standard of interconnected, carrier and cloud-neutral data centre facilities throughout Africa.
“It is an exciting time for Africa Data Centres. Our decision to build a datacentre in Kigali was an easy one, given Rwanda’s robust economic recovery post the COVID-19 pandemic and the Government of Rwanda’s focus on digital transformation,” Tesh Durvasula, the company’s CEO, said.
He said the new data centre brings three main benefits to the market – global standards, high quality of service and affordability. In addition, enterprises will achieve cost savings associated with building and maintaining their own facilities.
“This latest announcement adds to and complements our existing investments in Rwanda and elsewhere in East Africa. We will work closely with both public and private enterprises in Rwanda to ensure that they can harness the benefits of our data centre facility to enable the provision of digital services that Rwandan citizens need,” Hardy Pemhiwa, group president & CEO of Cassava Technologies, said.
Rwanda, a landlocked country in East Africa, has developed stable network connectivity and infrastructure connecting it to Uganda, and from there to the Kenyan coast into Uganda. Africa Data Centres will ensure that Rwanda becomes part of its ecosystem in East Africa by connecting the new data centre to their site in Nairobi.
Kigali, the Rwanda capital, posting a brilliant example of emerging information technology hub, is home to the $2bn Kigali Innovation City (KIC) project, throwing up big lessons to Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy, on knowledge-based economy.
The Kigali innovation city, announced in 2018 as a collaborative effort between Africa50 and Rwandan Government, was aimed to attract $300 million in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), create 50,000 jobs and generate $150 million in ICT exports annually. It was to graduate 2,600 students every year.
Speaking of the need for colocation services in the country, Durvasula, the Africa Data Centre chief, said the local enterprise market is eager to benefit from Africa Data Centres’ colocation services and a stable data centre environment.
“They will also be able to make the most of global connectivity through a range of global service providers and cloud service providers,” he said.
Ultimately, Africa Data Centres wants to extend the same experience to clients in Rwanda as it does in other countries by building a world-class ecosystem to which the Rwandan market can connect.
Cassava Technologies, which is firmly rooted in Africa, envisions a digitally connected future for every African. The company said it is on a mission to use technology to transform the lives of individuals and businesses across the continent by enabling social mobility and economic prosperity. Its integrated ecosystem of digital solutions will dramatically increase access to digital tools and connectivity.