Thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, the African data center exploded with increased demand for managed services amid an accelerated digital transformation. Raxio wants to capitalize on the growth prospects.  

Carrier-neutral data center operator Raxio Group held the groundbreaking ceremony of its DR Congo-based Tier 3 neutral colocation data center yesterday. The data center, which is said to be the first of its kind in the country, was announced in March 2021. 

For Raxio Group president Robert Mullins, “access to data center infrastructure is more important now than ever before as connectivity and digital transformation make rapid progress in the DRC.” 

“As with all our facilities, our customers and partners have been at the heart of our design process and it is our aim that the DRC’s first Tier III carrier-neutral data center will provide a critical and missing part of the country’s digital infrastructure,” he added. 

The infrastructure is expected to be inaugurated in late 2023. It is designed as a state-of-the-art facility with a planned IT capacity of 1.5MW that can accommodate nearly 400 racks. It is expected to improve the traffic between local and international content creators, but also enhance Internet connection and make it more affordable for users.

For DRC officials, the data center under construction aligns with the government’s strategic plan to equip the country with digital infrastructures of international standards, as reflected in the national digital plan horizon 2025.

According to the report "Data Center Market in Africa - Industry Outlook and Forecast 2020-2025", the data center market in Africa is expected to grow by over 12% annually in 2020-2025. Its value is also expected to rise to US$3 billion. Raxio wants to take advantage of this burgeoning market by building 10 to 12 data centers across Africa.  Currently, it has data centers in Uganda, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Ivory Coast, and Tanzania.

Samira Njoya