Gitex Africa 2024: Companies sign deals to transform Africa

Gitex Africa 2024, witnessed a burst of significant announcements and partnership deals that are set to impact the technological landscape on the African continent.

From cloud computing collaborations to cutting-edge satellite deployments. The event has served as a catalyst for investment and innovation.

Connecting Africa has compiled a list of significant announcements from Gitex Africa 2024, which took place this week in Marrakech, Morocco.

OVHcloud opens first Local Zone Edge in Morocco

Cloud computing company OVHcloud has partnered with local data center operator Maroc Datacenter to open a Local Zone Edge location in Rabat, Morocco.

Local Zones are suitable for workloads with latency-sensitive services such as real-time analytics, e-commerce websites, content delivery networks (CDN) for replay and streaming videos, and cloud gaming.

Cloud computing company OVHcloud has partnered with local data center operator Maroc Datacenter to open a Local Zone Edge location in Rabat, Morocco. (Source: OVHcloud).

Furthermore, OVHcloud revealed plans for additional deployments, which involve launching Local Zones in South Africa, Kenya and Tunisia by 2025.

"We are delighted to enter a partnership with OVHcloud Group. The launch of a Local Zone in Morocco will contribute to empower the kingdom digital ecosystem by offering innovative cloud platforms and provide public and private organizations with cloud services offering guarantees of data sovereignty and low latency," said Maroc Datacenter Chairman Abderrahmane Mounir.

"Today's launch of the first Local Zone in Rabat is an important milestone in OVHcloud's relationship with Morocco and confirms the Group's ambition to extend its offering to organizations operating in Africa," added OVHcloud Vice President for France, Benelux, Africa and the Middle East Caroline Comet-Fraigneau.

Comet-Fraigneau added that from now on, companies and institutions will be able to take advantage of the Local Zones to rely on more secure, faster and more efficient services, facilitating the digital transformation of the Moroccan ecosystem before moving on to serve new locations on the continent.

Oracle to open two public cloud regions in Morocco

Technology company specializing in database management systems and cloud solutions, Oracle, has announced that it will open two Oracle cloud regions in Morocco to offer enterprise cloud services to local and regional organizations across the continent.

The company said that these regions will allow its customers and partners to migrate mission-critical workloads from their data centers to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), while helping them comply with local regulations.

Oracle's new cloud regions will allow its customers and partners to migrate mission-critical workloads from their data centers to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. (Source: Oracle).

"The opening of Oracle's public cloud in Morocco will accelerate the digital transformation throughout the region. This strategic expansion, with a hyperscaler like Oracle, positions Morocco as a unique player in the region and allows an even more dynamic development of skills, and growth opportunities," said Morocco Minister Delegate to the Head of Government in charge of Digital Transition and Administrative Reform Ghita Mezzour.

Oracle Executive VP of Technology for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Richard Smith, said the upcoming Oracle cloud regions will offer enterprise-grade cloud capabilities to help organizations deliver new solutions, build resilience, and explore new markets to help accelerate growth.

Yahsat, SATCOM to enhance satellite connectivity in Zimbabwe

Yahsat and SATCOM Technologies have partnered to provide satellite connectivity solutions for Zimbabwe, aiming to enter the market in June 2024.

Under the partnership, Yahsat and SATCOM Technologies will seek to leverage their expertise to secure government projects by offering innovative, reliable, and efficient satellite-enabled connectivity solutions catering to Zimbabwe's national requirements and development initiatives, which is expected to transform the country's connectivity and technological capabilities.

Yahsat and SATCOM Technologies have partnered to provide satellite connectivity solutions for Zimbabwe and aim to enter the market in June 2024. (Source: Yahsat).

"This strategic partnership is a testament to our commitment to enhancing connectivity across the continent, supporting the digital transformation journey of African nations, and improving access to essential services for all," said Yahsat CCO Sulaiman Al Ali.

SATCOM Technologies CEO, Tafadzwa Collins Semu, said the partnership will play a pivotal role in bridging the digital divide, fostering economic growth, and enabling access to vital services for our communities.

Orange, AWS launch cloud services in Morocco and Senegal

Orange Middle East and Africa and Amazon Web Services (AWS) have partnered to introduce AWS Wavelength in Morocco and Senegal by the end of the year.

AWS Wavelength will enable startups, businesses, and public agencies to process and store their data locally.

The establishment of the first AWS Wavelength zones in Africa, also marks the introduction of the first Wavelength zones in countries without existing AWS regions or local zones, the two companies said.

The launch of AWS Wavelengths in Morocco and Senegal will enable startups, businesses, and public agencies to process and store their data locally. (Source: Gitex Africa 2024).

The partnership will see Orange handling the hosting of services in its data centers, ensuring optimal security and reliability for users.

It comes at a time when the demand for IT services in Africa continues to grow, attracting cloud computing operators.

"The announcement of AWS Wavelength Zones for North and West Africa is a major achievement in our strategy to foster the cloud transformation of African businesses," said Orange Middle East and Africa CEO Jérôme Hénique.

"We will help Moroccan and Senegalese organizations of all sizes benefit from AWS, while ensuring local data hosting in Orange's secure data centers, along with our best connectivity solutions," Hénique added.

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*Top image source: Gitex Africa 2024.

— Matshepo Sehloho, Associate Editor, Connecting Africa