Efforts to establish Oracle’s public cloud region in Kenya are advancing, with construction of a major data center in Nairobi now in its final stages. This facility is set to become Oracle’s second cloud region in Africa, following the launch of the Oracle Cloud Johannesburg Region three years ago.
Oracle’s partner in this venture, iXAfrica Data Centre Limited, is hosting the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) region in Nairobi. iXAfrica, noted as East and Central Africa’s largest hyperscale, carrier-neutral, AI-ready facility, was selected for its readiness to meet global cloud standards. The announcement of this collaboration originally came in January 2024 during a statement by Kenya’s President William Ruto.
According to Oracle, iXAfrica stands out for its unique combination of carrier neutrality, high-density AI capabilities, resilient power infrastructure, and proximity to key connectivity networks. This makes it the only facility in the Kenyan market capable of supporting large-scale public cloud deployments immediately.
"We are delighted to be in execution mode to bring OCI to Kenya", said Snehar Shah, CEO of iXAfrica. "With this collaboration, iXAfrica is leveraging the renewable energy, talent, and abundant submarine and national connectivity available in our market."
The establishment of the new Oracle Cloud Infrastructure region is expected to significantly benefit Kenya and the surrounding region. By hosting OCI locally, iXAfrica aims to help organizations accelerate digital transformation, deploy latency-sensitive applications, and create AI-powered services closer to users.
David Bunei, Oracle’s country leader for Kenya, emphasized OCI’s global reputation for reliability and innovation. "Around the world, governments and enterprises rely on OCI for its security, scalability, and ability to run mission-critical workloads that enable innovation at scale", he said. "These unique capabilities and our collaboration with iXAfrica will further support the growth of the country’s digital economy."
Key components of the data center - construction, power, and connectivity infrastructure - are already in advanced stages of development. iXAfrica has highlighted its commitment to creating scalable, resilient digital infrastructure capable of meeting the demanding operational requirements of global cloud providers.
As Oracle strengthens its foothold in Kenya, the partnership with iXAfrica is expected to contribute significantly to building a more competitive, globally connected digital economy for the region. The collaboration reflects a shared vision of leveraging cutting-edge technology and infrastructure to position Kenya as a leader in digital transformation.
