Sylvia Duruson
Raxio Group has marked a significant milestone in West Africa’s digital landscape with the launch of its state-of-the-art data centre in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Dubbed Raxio Côte d’Ivoire (CIV1), this facility represents the company’s fifth data centre and its third launch in 2024 alone.
The CIV1 facility boasts Tier III accreditation from the Uptime Institute, a prestigious international industry body. This certification underscores the data centre’s high standards of reliability and performance. As the country’s first Tier III certified carrier-neutral and cloud-neutral facility, CIV1 is poised to play a crucial role in driving Ivory Coast’s digital growth.
Equipped with cutting-edge technology, CIV1 can accommodate up to 800 racks at full capacity. The facility delivers an impressive 3MW of IT power to customer equipment, ensuring robust support for a wide range of digital services and applications.
Robert Mullins, CEO of Raxio Group, emphasized the strategic importance of the Abidjan data centre. He noted that its location firmly establishes Raxio in West Africa, a key growth sector for the company’s expansion plans. Abidjan’s position as a regional hub makes it an ideal location for organizations across the economic region to host their critical infrastructure.
The data centre’s location in the Village of Innovation and Technology (VITIB), about 30km from Abidjan’s city center, offers strategic advantages. It benefits from multiple power and fiber connection paths, supported by redundant equipment that underpins its Tier III certification. Operating 24/7, the facility is positioned along key fiber routes, providing excellent domestic and international connectivity.
CIV1’s significance extends beyond Ivory Coast. As the regional hub for the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU), which includes eight francophone countries, the data centre is strategically positioned to serve this economic block. Current regulations allow for data storage and movement within the WAEMU territory, particularly benefiting the banking and financial sectors.
The facility will also host the country’s Internet Exchange Point (CIVIX). This setup enables low-cost interconnection of local and international traffic in an optimal, carrier-neutral environment. Six connectivity providers currently supply fiber to the facility, ensuring robust and diverse connectivity options.
Raxio CIV1 is expected to serve a diverse range of customers in Abidjan and the wider WAEMU region. Its launch comes at a crucial time when digital transformation, data consumption, and connectivity demands are experiencing unprecedented growth across various sectors.
The establishment of this advanced data centre in Abidjan represents a significant step in enhancing the digital infrastructure of West Africa. By providing a secure, reliable, and high-performance environment for data storage and processing, Raxio CIV1 is set to play a pivotal role in supporting the region’s digital economy and fostering technological innovation.
As businesses and organizations increasingly rely on digital services, the presence of such a facility in Ivory Coast is likely to attract more investments in the tech sector and accelerate digital adoption across the region. The data centre’s capacity to handle large volumes of data and provide seamless connectivity positions it as a key enabler of digital transformation in francophone West Africa.
