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Raxio Group has begun construction of a 7MW data centre in Angola. It is the country’s first certified Tier-III carrier-neutral data centre.

Located in Cacuaco, about 17km from the central business district of Luanda, the Raxio Angola centre is being built across 4,000 square metres. It will have an initial capacity of 3MW, with the potential to scale up to 7MW and accommodate more than 1,600 racks. The first phase is scheduled to come online in the second half of 2024.

The site has been chosen for its proximity to the submarine cable landing points, access to local terrestrial fibre networks and easy road connections. 

“Angola has a very high demand for connectivity and related services,” said Raxio Group CEO Robert Mullins at the groundbreaking ceremony on 20 September. “In addition, it is geographically very well-positioned to be a strategic connectivity hub for the region.

“With the arrival of new connectivity solutions and the continued evolution of the digital ecosystem in the region, we will continue to build scalable, hyperscale-ready facilities.”

Raxio Group says that Angola’s digital and telecommunications ecosystems have been developing rapidly, with the country already achieving an internet penetration rate of about 27%. New connectivity providers have been entering the market and others are actively enhancing their networks, footprint and services. 

According to Raxio Group, these factors provide an opportunity for Angola to become a strategic connectivity hub in the region, including significant cross-border traffic with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where the group is already building a facility. 

The company launched its first Tier-III data centre in Uganda – the 1.5MW Raxio Uganda, which opened in 2021.

In addition to Angola, Raxio Group is currently constructing Tier-III facilities in:

• Ethiopia: the 3MW Raxio ET1, which is set to be commissioned in 2023; 
• DRC: the 1.5MW Raxio DRC, construction of which started in September 2022; 
• Côte d’Ivoire: the 3MW Raxio Abidjan, construction of which started in November 2022; 
• Mozambique: the Raxio MZ1, construction of which started in September 2022; 
• Tanzania: the 6MW Raxio Tanzania, which is scheduled for commissioning in 2024.

In April, Raxio Group announced it had secured a sustainability-linked, multiple-tranche debt facility of up to US$170 million to support the construction of data centres across Africa.

Photo: Groundbreaking ceremony (Source: Facebook @ Raxio Angola)