MainOne expands data center footprint in Côte d'Ivoire

West African connectivity and data center solutions provider MainOne has launched an expanded open access, carrier-neutral data center in Côte d'Ivoire.

"This expansion aims to further empower digital transformation, foster innovation, and support the ever-increasing demand for data processing, storage, and connectivity in Côte d'Ivoire and Francophone West Africa," the company said in a statement.

MainOne was acquired by Nasdaq-listed Equinix in April 2022 for $320 million.

"With this launch of our new data center in Côte d'Ivoire, we are entering an exciting phase of transformation for businesses as it delivers a great opportunity to welcome more customers into our rich digital ecosystem, interconnected to the major digital players in the region and delivering 100% uptime connectivity to Internet," said Etienne Kouadio Doh, MainOne's country manager in Côte d'Ivoire.

The data center was described as an "open access, carrier-neutral, Uptime Tier III standards Data Center, AB1.2" and is located in Grand Bassam on the outskirts of Abidjan. Outside of Côte d'Ivoire, MainOne also has a presence in Nigeria and Ghana.

MainOne sees the expansion as an opportunity to accommodate more customers in Côte d'Ivoire, providing enterprise-grade digital solutions with access to global services and Internet exchanges, including the Amsterdam Internet Exchange (AMS-IX) hosted at the data center.

"This state-of-the-art infrastructure will deliver advanced security systems, cutting-edge technologies, global certifications, in-country expert support and the region's largest interconnected ecosystem to guarantee peak performance," the group added.

Following the company's acquisition by Equinix, customers will gain access to over 240 data centers in 32 countries via the Equinix platform.

Africa's data center market has been growing in recent years with companies like Raxio Group and Africa Data Centres expanding across the region.

New Equinix MD in South Africa

Earlier this month, Equinix announced the appointment of Sandile Dube as its new MD in South Africa to lead Equinix's expansion into the South African market.

New Equinix MD in South Africa, Sandile Dube. (Source: Equinix)

The group said that Dube will work closely with both local businesses and multinational companies to establish a crucial interconnection platform in Equinix's new JN1 International Business Exchange (IBX) data center in Johannesburg.

Scheduled for a mid-2024 launch, the $160 million IBX data center will establish connections for businesses within and outside South Africa, linking them to a network of Equinix customers and partners within the global Equinix ecosystem.

Dube joined Equinix from Hewlett Packard Enterprises (HPE) where he held the position of MD for South Africa.

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— Paula Gilbert, Editor, Connecting Africa