WIOCC has completed raising USD 200 million in debt and equity capital. It will use this to expand its connectivity in Africa and internationally and to set up the new company Open Access Data Centres (OADC) to launch a network of African data centres.
Strategic investments in the new Equiano and 2Africa international subsea systems will add several Terabits of capacity to WIOCC's existing core network infrastructure and increase its ability to provide high-availability services that are in demand. WIOCC’s terrestrial strategy includes deploying metro and national networks in major locations. This will be extended to new countries and metropolitan areas.
New data centres for cable landing stations
Part of the capital raised will be used to fund OADC, which is creating an African network of interlinked and open-access, carrier-neutral data centres. First-phase locations will house major submarine cable landings in Lagos, Durban and Mogadishu. Each will provide clients with colocation facilities and connectivity straight to new international subsea systems, eliminating the costs and risks traditionally associated with terrestrial backhauling, it said.
Construction and equipment is under way in Lagos and Durban in South Africa, with both to launch early in 2022. The Mogadishu data centre will be ready before the end of 2022. Future deployments will provide more than 20 new data centres in strategic locations in Africa, focusing on major connectivity hubs in each country.
WIOCC raised the equity capital from CAPE IV, a fund managed by private equity fund manager African Capital Alliance (ACA). WIOCC’s debt facility was provided by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), Proparco and Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund (EAIF) managed by Ninety One.
