In line with his ambition to establish Kenya as a digital hub in Africa, the Kenyan President traveled to Silicon Valley last November. He engaged in discussions with several U.S. technology leaders, encouraging them to invest in his country.

US technology giant Oracle is set to construct its second African data center in Nairobi, Kenya. The announcement was made on January 31, during a meeting held by President William Ruto with a delegation from Oracle, led by Scott Twaddle, the Senior Vice President in charge of products and industries at Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI).

The initiative aims to accelerate the digital transformation of Kenya's government, public institutions, businesses, and startups. "We are delighted to see Oracle planning such an important investment in Kenya. [...] I am excited to see major technology companies like Oracle investing in Kenya and bringing state of the art technologies like AI and cloud applications that will benefit Kenyan citizens, especially in creation of jobs," Ruto said.

Data centers, the physical powerhouses behind the digital world, are experiencing a surge in growth across Africa. These facilities, which store, manage, and distribute essential data, offer the computing muscle needed for online services, applications, websites, and more. This growing demand stems from the continent's rapid digital transformation, with businesses and governments increasingly relying on cloud-based solutions.

While Africa currently houses less than 2%- According to the International Telecommunications Union– of the world's data centers, major players like Microsoft, Amazon, Oracle, and Huawei are taking notice, investing heavily in building new facilities across the continent. This expansion is driven by the need to address the existing gap in cloud infrastructure and capitalize on the region's immense potential for digital growth.

Adoni Conrad Quenum