Pan-African data centre developer and operator the Raxio Group has held a ground-breaking ceremony marking the start of construction of its fifth – and Côte d’Ivoire’s first – Tier III carrier-neutral colocation data centre.
The event, at the Village of Innovation and Technology (VITIB), a special economic zone in Grand-Bassam approximately 30 kilometres from the city centre of Abidjan, was attended by members of government, Raxio executives, partners, customers, and representatives from the media. It marks the first of multiple phases of construction, leading to a ready-for-service date of the second half of 2023.
This facility, plans for which we reported in October 2021, marks the Group’s anticipated entry into West Africa, in an area that is a regional hub for the West African Economic Monetary and Economic Union (WAEMU), which includes Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo.
Raxio says the Côte d’Ivoire facility is strategically located to serve this economic bloc, with regulation allowing storage and movement of data by banks and other financial institutions within the territory.
Raxio adds that digital transformation in Côte d’Ivoire has accelerated in recent years and digital infrastructure – like the new facility – is needed to support this.
Raxio Abidjan will scale as customer needs grow, with capacity to accommodate approximately 800 racks and deliver 3MW of IT power. Its size will meet local needs and be able to scale further to capture future demand.
It will be fully furnished with technology solutions that not only ensure full redundancy and maximized uptime, but also optimize power consumption and energy efficiency.
Raxio says it has assembled experienced technical partners specializing in design, engineering, and construction to complement its internal team.