Africa Data Centres has announced plans to build huge $500 million worth hyper-scale data centres in ten African countries to boost economic growth and employment.
The two-year project will be funded through new equity and facilities from leading development finance institutions and multilateral organisations.
Africa Data Centres, an affiliate of Liquid Intelligent Technologies (former Liquid Telecom Kenya) already has nine data centres across six African countries.
Africa Data Centres CEO,Stephane Dupro, stated that the firm has acquired land in the respective countries ahead of the construction of the facilities which will remain interconnected.
“Examining Africa’s growth trajectory has allowed us to make investment decisions on new locations and confidently commit to expanding selected existing locations, resulting in the largest investment of its kind in history, the impact of a data centre is long-lasting, with immediate job creation stemming from the physical build and enduring economic growth once operational,” he said.
He noted that the data centres will provide high-speed data facilities which will also attract multinational organisations seeking to penetrate the African market.
Among the sectors which will benefit from the centres include banking and growing fintech sectors, insurance and medical organisations, the public sector, hyper-scale cloud providers, content providers as well as Small and Micro Enterprises (SMEs).
In order to reduce carbon emissions, the firm will invest in innovative grey-water systems, waste disposal and renewable energy sources.