World Bank backs Africa digital data push with $100mln Raxio deal.
The World Bank’s private investment arm is backing the rush into digital data in Africa with a $100m investment in regional data centre developer and operator Raxio Group, funding centres from Ethiopia to Angola.
Digital demand on the continent is surging, but infrastructure remains scarce. Africa accounts for less than 1% of the world’s data centre capacity even as mobile data usage grows by around 40% annually – nearly double the global average, according to US advocacy group Internet Society.
The debt funding by the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation (IFC) – its largest such investment to date in Africa – reflects rising interest from global institutions in the continent’s digital economy, where mobile money, AI-driven services and cloud-based platforms are rapidly expanding. Hosting data locally reduces costs, improves speeds and gives governments more control over cybersecurity and regulation.
Improving digital connectivity and building the backbones of digital infrastructure are of key importance to support economic growth in Africa, Suri added.
After launching its first facility in Uganda in 2021, Raxio is building a network of top standard data centres, including one in Ivory Coast with construction underway in Mozambique, Ethiopia and Democratic Republic of Congo.
Source: Zawya
