DRC's largest data centre opens

In a significant step towards enhancing the Democratic Republic of the Congo's (DRC) growing influence in Africa's digital transformation, Raxio Group has officially launched its state-of-the-art data centre in Kinshasa 

This facility, the largest in the country, has earned Tier III accreditation from the international industry body, the Uptime Institute.

Named Raxio DRC1, the advanced data centre is supported by a US$30mn investment and marks a crucial milestone in the DRC’s National Digital Plan (Plan National du Numérique). This initiative aims to promote digital inclusion, stimulate private sector growth, and modernise public services through digitalization.

Situated in Limete, southeast of Kinshasa, the two-storey Raxio Data Centre covers an area of 1,542 square meters. It boasts a modern design capable of accommodating up to 400 racks and can consistently deliver 1.5MW of IT power to client equipment. Operating 24/7, the facility is strategically positioned along major fibre routes, offering top-tier colocation and connectivity services. Its Tier III certification is bolstered by multiple pathways for power and cooling systems, while the use of cutting-edge technology ensures high efficiency and a strong commitment to sustainability.

Construction of the project began in early 2023 and was completed in record time, reflecting Raxio’s established expertise in building data centre facilities across Africa. The rapid completion also underscores the support of government authorities in prioritising and accelerating essential national projects.

“The inauguration of our Kinshasa data centre marks a significant achievement for Raxio and a pivotal moment for the DRC's digital landscape,” said Robert Mullins, CEO of Raxio Group. “DRC is one of Africa’s largest and fastest-growing markets with an existing latent demand for digital products and services that is forecast to soar in the coming years. With this facility, we are providing the critical infrastructure essential to supporting the digital economy and enhancing connectivity – and we expect to expand our presence in DRC through additional capacity and new facilities in years to come. Our investment reflects unwavering confidence in the DRC's immense potential and our commitment to sustainable digital development across Africa.”

With the widest footprint of any data centre provider on the continent, Raxio's strategy is to address the significant demand for high-quality data infrastructure across Africa. Since opening its first data centre in Uganda in 2021, Raxio has expanded this year into Ethiopia and Mozambique. The launch of the DRC marks the opening of Raxio’s fourth facility this year with 1.5MW being the group’s largest Day 1 capacity to date.

Pan-African digital backbone

Raxio continues to see strong momentum behind the roll-out of its pan-African digital backbone. Appetite for data centre capacity is growing not just amongst local enterprises and the public sector, but increasingly from some of the world’s largest hyperscale Cloud Service Providers, Content Delivery Networks and Mobile Network Operators as they strengthen their networks and market presence on the continent.

The DRC launch aligns with the government's Plan National du Numerique to make expansive digitalisation a catalyst for economic growth, competitiveness and social inclusion, while enabling a range of public and private sector cloud-based digital services. The Provision of data centres is one of the key pillars of the government plan, improving the digital landscape through reduced latency for real-time applications and providing a reliable backbone for mobile and internet connectivity.

“Closing sub-Saharan Africa’s connectivity gap is no longer a pipe dream – it is happening now and we are extremely proud to be among the key enablers that are driving digital inclusion,” said Yannick Sukakumu, general manager Raxio DRC. “The commitment and pragmatism of the government has been a key enabling factor in spurring our project from inception to completion in record time and stands as an inspiration for the wider region in grasping this incredible opportunity for a broad-based digital economy expansion. We are looking forward to welcoming customers into an international-standard data centre environment.”