The African Development Bank has approved a $10.5 million loan to Comoros for developing new data centres and promoting digital entrepreneurship. Totalling €22.53 million, the project aims to enhance governance and public services while fostering innovation. Completion is anticipated to significantly improve digital access and services for the Comorian population, aligning with regional growth in the data centre market.
The African Development Bank (AfDB) has sanctioned a loan of €9.51 million (approximately $10.5 million) to the nation of Comoros for the construction and operation of a new data centre. This funding also supports an existing secondary data centre and an incubator aimed at fostering digital innovation and entrepreneurship. The overall project is estimated at €22.53 million ($24.9 million), supported by the African Development Fund and the Transition Support Facility with contributions of €4.02 million ($4.4 million) and €5.49 million ($6 million) respectively.
This initiative is an integral part of the Project to Support the Digitisation of the Comorian Economy. It seeks to enhance governance and improve public services through a robust digital administration framework. A private operator is expected to manage the operation, marketing, maintenance, and expansion of the data centres.
The project encompasses the establishment of a digital administration platform and the development of e-services, in addition to setting up a digital public payment system and a data-sharing platform. Furthermore, it emphasizes data management by allocating resources for the creation of a National Authority for the Protection of Personal Data and Access to Information.
Upon completion, this initiative is anticipated to offer a comprehensive suite of digital services that cater to the needs of the Comorian populace, facilitating greater access to digitisation. As of January 2024, Internet penetration in the Comoros has reached 27.3% of the total population, marking a 1.8% increase from the previous year.
In the broader context of East Africa, the data centre market is projected to yield $1.09 billion in revenue by 2024, with Network Infrastructure constituting a significant portion at $0.48 billion. In Kenya, IXAfrica Data Centres and Schneider Electric have recently inaugurated a hyper-scale data centre, potentially the most advanced in the region. Additionally, Kenya has secured investments up to $1 billion from Microsoft and G42 for a sustainable data centre campus. Ethiopia’s Ethio Telecom is also exploring partnership opportunities with a Chinese company for constructing a hyper-scale data centre.
The approval of a $10.5 million loan from the African Development Bank for Comoros marks a significant step toward enhancing digital infrastructure in the East African nation. The project aims to improve governance, public services, and economic digitisation through strategic investments in data management and personal data protection. As digital access rises in the region, Comoros is poised to join the ranks of other East African nations advancing their data centre capabilities.
Original Source: techpoint.africa
