The Raxio Group sets out Pan-African colocation datacentre expansion plans

Pan-African datacentre developer The Raxio Group has set out plans to open colocation facilities in several more countries, having opened its first in Uganda in May 2021.

The Ugandan facility is billed by Raxio as being the country’s first enterprise-grade datacentre, and with the demand for colocation capacity across Africa predicted to soar in years to come, the firm has now set out plans to build more sites across the continent.

The company will work with pre-engineered datacentre builder Master Power Technologies to deploy multiple server farms across Africa, with Raxio planning to draw on the partnership to create colocation sites in Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Mozambique.

“The infrastructure will help drive growth to the region by supporting the rising consumption of data and the growing digital needs, while reducing the costs associated with digital access for all,” said Raxio in a statement.

Specifically, Master Power will be tasked with localising the design of each facility it creates for Raxio, as well as installing and commissioning all the technical areas within its datacentres.

It is hoped the collaboration will make it easier for businesses in Africa to access colocation services and, in turn, bolster their digital transformation capabilities, with Raxio’s designs favouring power densities of up to 21KW per rack.  

The companies confirmed that the facilities will also adhere to the Uptime Institute’s Tier III standards, meaning they will feature no single points of failure, and will be designed to ensure redundancy from a power, cooling and connectivity perspective.

“The facilities will also be a catalyst for economic growth and job creation, while minimising the impact on the environment through an energy-efficient design which does not compromise the reliability of the overall system,” the Raxio statement continued.  

Raxio Group CEO Robert Mullins said the partnership will allow the firm to accelerate its expansion plans by enabling it to streamline the design-to-commissioning process across its facilities.

“Master Power’s long-established track record of successful installations across the African continent and a highly skilled team, as well as its ability to tailor its solutions to meet the requirements of our unique design, were key criteria in our selection process,” said Mullins.

“Together with our own resources and technical partners, we are convinced we have a winning combination to deliver these paradigm-shifting facilities to the region. In addition to this, our shared vision to enable digital transformation across Africa, driving economic growth and opportunities for the entire population, makes Master Power the ideal choice for us.”

Menno Parsons, CEO of Master Power, added: “Digital infrastructure is desperately needed in Africa as connectivity becomes available to more of the population. Working with Raxio to build its next suite of datacentres is critical in helping to support the growing demand for colocation services across the region.”