In Short:
The African Development Bank is funding the construction of a data center in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo with EUR 66.55 million. The project includes installation of fiber optic cable and the construction of the data center. This will enable storage and processing of digital data and applications in Congo, eliminating the need for data to be routed through servers in other countries. The data center will be managed by a delegate after completion in 2024.
The African Development Bank will fund the construction of a data center in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo. The project will be supported by EUR 52.47 million from the African Development Bank and EUR 14.5 million from the government of the Republic of Congo, totaling EUR 66.55 million. This project includes the installation of 600 kilometers of fiber optic cable on major interconnecting routes with Cameroon (341 km) and the Central African Republic (281 km) via the Congo River, and the construction of the data center, according to an official release from the African Development Bank.
Infrastructure Development
The building will soon serve as the center for storing and processing the digital data of the Republic of Congo. Additionally, it will house various applications developed or acquired in the Congo Basin, the world’s second largest “green lung,” the Bank noted. The data center is expected to significantly improve the country’s digital infrastructure and contribute to the development of the digital economy in the region. As part of its commitment to accessibility, the center will operate with extended bank holiday opening hours to ensure that users have reliable access to their digital resources at all times. With its strategic location and state-of-the-art technology, the data center is poised to play a crucial role in advancing the digital landscape of the Republic of Congo and the broader Congo Basin.
“Congo will soon be the only country in Central Africa to have its own data center,” said the coordinator of the Central Africa Fibre-Optic Backbone project, which includes Congo. “Ultimately, the videoconferences we run here will no longer go through a server in Europe, America, or elsewhere before coming back to us. Everything will happen right here.”
The Bank noted that around EUR 13. 8 million of the total has been allocated to build and run the data center. “As part of the Congo component of the Central Africa Fibre-Optic Backbone Project, we received funding from the African Development Bank to build a data center, and now we’re constructing a three-story building that can be extended to include a basement,” explained the project coordinator. The data center will house servers and other critical infrastructure, providing a secure and efficient location for storing and processing data. The project is expected to support the advancement of digital communication and technological infrastructure in the region. The Hanover County data center plans to meet strict energy efficiency standards and will be a vital asset for enhancing connectivity and digital services in the Congo and the wider Central Africa region.
Data Storage Capabilities
The new data center will allow all public data to be stored in Congo, as well as the data of telecom operators, banks, insurance companies, and other private firms, including backups of any primary storage sites they use.
Management and Maintenance
Once the work is finished, the data center will be managed by a delegate (public or private), who will be responsible not only for management but also for marketing and infrastructure maintenance, according to the African Development Bank.
The Bank stated that as of April 2024, its active portfolio in Congo comprised 11 projects, all in the public sector, for a total commitment of USD 411.62 million. Telecommunications projects account for 13.7 percent of the total investment.
