Pan-African connectivity provider BringCom has launched afriQloud in partnership with science and technology investor Imprimatur Capital and European edge cloud software company GIG Technology
Launched in Uganda, afriQloud will provide customers with an innovative and secure distributed edge cloud service.
Hans van Linschoten, the founding partner of Imprimatur Capital Africa and CEO of afriQloud, said, “We see significant potential in the growing African cloud market where an estimated US$2bn is being spent in cloud this year, and we’re excited to bring this service to the continent. By the end of 2019, we will complement the few developed markets clouds with a powerful and local distributed cloud in at least 15 countries. This ensures data sovereignty for institutions and governments within Africa’s shores.”
Most of Africa’s Internet content is hosted on servers outside the continent. Implementation of edge cloud computing services in Africa was adversely affected by the lack of reliable and secure connectivity from various service providers. The cost of setting up ICT infrastructure with improved data latency and minimised downtime has also contributed to the continent-wide slow adoption of cloud solution.
The aim of afriQloud is to have the Edge Cloud installed in cities and tech hub ecosystems which hosts a high number of startups and developers. The company stated that afriQloud will be spreading its services further into the different regions of Africa this year.
“In a few months, we will expand our service in East Africa - Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda and Ethiopia will be afriQloud active very soon. We are working through channels in Southern Africa as well - Zambia, Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Mozambique are our next target markets,” Linschoten added.
“And of course the West African region is good and ripe for the plucking. Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, Ivory Coast and Cameroon – we’ll be present in all these countries this year! We’re very much looking forward to working with tech startups, MNOs, ISPs, government institutions, banks and financial institutions, universities – there is much to be done, and the time to begin is now,” he concluded.
