- Data centres are IT facilities that manage big organisations’ data. They house state-of-the-art computing infrastructure with very powerful machines.
- The new facility will be built on a part of the former Trade Fair showgrounds site, one of the key central locations in the city.
- This new facility is part of Africa Data Centres’ continental expansion plans spanning 10 of Africa’s major economic hubs.
Africa Data Centres, the largest network of interconnected data centre facilities on the continent, is set to open West Africa’s largest facility in Ghana in the next 12 months. The firm announced it will shortly start construction on its newly acquired land in Accra, Ghana.
The new facility has been designed for an initial 10MW, which can expand to 30MW depending on demand. It will be the largest facility in West Africa to date, outside of Nigeria.
“We continue to bring internationally recognised services and products through Liquid Intelligent Technologies and Africa Data Centres. Liquid already has the largest cross-border fibre network in Africa, and our data centres footprint expansion compliments this, enabling faster digital transformation on the continent,” Liquid Intelligent Technologies Group CEO Hardy Pemhiwa said.
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Data centers are Information Technology (IT) facilities mandated to manage an organisation’s data. They house state-of-the-art computing infrastructure with very powerful machines. Traditionally, data centers were associated with extensive use of space and a lot of hardware components. These were necessary to support big data storage and management services.
Currently, data centres have been lauded as the foundation of digitally-led economic growth around the world. They help in developing sustainable and self-sufficient ICT ecosystems.
Significant step in bridging infrastructure gap
“Our new data centre in Ghana is a significant step towards Africa Data Centres’ goal of narrowing the digital divide. Hyper-scale data centres, preferred by major US tech companies, multinationals, banks and other local enterprises, are the speciality of Africa Data Centres. Additionally, our data centres are supported with independent solar and battery storage power, enabling us to bring digital technologies whilst mitigating our environmental impact,” Africa Data Centres CEO Tesh Durvasula said.
The new facility will be constructed on a part of the former Trade Fair showgrounds site. This is one of the prime locations in central Accra city. And the construction works of the first phase will complete within 12 months.
“The establishment of Africa Data Centre’s new 10MW data centre, in the heart of Accra, is a significant step towards bridging the infrastructure gap, and further developing our digital economy. This investment and the government’s drive at digitising all sectors of the economy will enable us to increase our capacity to access digital services, and help even more to attract foreign direct investment into our economy,” President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana said.
This new facility is part of Africa Data Centres’ continental expansion plans spanning 10 of Africa’s major economic hubs. The countries on target are South Africa, Zambia, Kenya, Rwanda, Egypt, Morocco, Senegal, Ivory Coast, and Angola.
Unlock public and private capital
“This investment exemplifies the US government’s commitment under the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment to unlock public and private capital for sustainable infrastructure investment. Alongside the data centres in South Africa and Kenya, the Ghana data centre is laying the groundwork for a digital revolution on the continent,” Amos Hochstein, US Government’s Senior Advisor, said.
The expansion into Ghana is partly financed by the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC). The company says it will significantly accelerate private sector-led digital infrastructure and services in Africa.
“This new facility in Accra will be an investment in critical infrastructure helping to better link the rapidly growing African population and market to global opportunities. DFC’s commitment to strengthen ICT Infrastructure in West Africa is in keeping with the commitments President Biden made to mobilize private capital for the kind of high quality global infrastructure investments that improve peoples’ lives.
“This new data centre will help accomplish that in Ghana and for the region, creating jobs by improving existing business conditions while at the same time attracting data-dependent companies looking to invest and expand their operations,” CEO of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation Scott Nathan said.
