ST Digital group is set to inaugurate its very first data center in Ivory Coast on October 2nd. The infrastructure, located in the VITIB technology free zone in Grand-Bassam, aims to be a cornerstone of the country’s digital sovereignty strategy.
A local response to a continental deficit
With this Tier III data center, the pan-African group aims to help bridge the continent’s gap in data hosting. In 2024, Africa accounted for only 1% of the global data center capacity, generating approximately $3.5 billion in revenue, compared to a global market estimated at $386 billion. For comparison, North America holds over 50% of the installed capacities.
According to projections from the International Data Corporation (IDC), the African data center market could exceed $13 billion by 2030, driven by the explosion of digital uses. Internet traffic on the continent is expected to increase by 40% per year, and data volume is projected to be multiplied by six by 2030. In this context, Ivory Coast aims to strengthen its role as a regional digital hub.
A significant investment, thought out 100% locally
The Grand-Bassam data center represents a multimillion-dollar investment. It consists of three modules offering a capacity of approximately 160 racks of 42 servers each – totaling over 6,000 physical servers and more than 50,000 virtual servers.
A unique aspect of the project is that its design, implementation, and operation were exclusively entrusted to African companies. “This is a strong message: we want to create value locally in a value chain usually dominated by foreign actors,” emphasizes Anthony Same, founder and CEO of ST Digital. For him, the inauguration goes beyond simply commissioning an infrastructure: it reflects a desire for sovereignty. “We prove that it is possible, with African skills, to design, build, and operate a data center to international standards. Africa is not condemned to depend on large foreign operators to secure its data.”
The company enlisted the services of two Ivorian architecture firms (CATD by Thierry Dogbo and AED by Marcel Sewanou), the local technical study office OPTIMA for execution, and the construction company DTECH for construction. All of this was supervised in just eight months, with technical support from global expert APL.
Valuable jobs for the local ecosystem
Beyond technology, ST Digital highlights the socio-economic impact of the project. The infrastructure is expected to contribute to the creation of skilled jobs, both in the construction phase and in the operation and maintenance phase.
“The challenge is simple: allowing Ivorian and West African actors to host their data locally, under national jurisdiction, while benefiting from international standards. But it is also about developing an ecosystem where engineers, technicians, and young local talents find concrete opportunities,” says Steve Tchouaga, general manager of the Ivorian subsidiary.
An institutional and symbolic project
The inauguration ceremony, held under the patronage of the Ministry of Digital Transition and Digitalization, will bring together around a hundred personalities from the public and private sectors: government representatives, regulatory authorities such as ARTCI, finance, telecom, and technology stakeholders.
For the authorities, this project is part of a national and continental dynamic of digital transformation. The development of a sovereign cloud is a strategic asset, both to protect sensitive data, promote innovation, and attract new investments.
A pan-African and eco-responsible approach
The Grand-Bassam site is just a first step. ST Digital plans to deploy a network of interconnected data centers in Cameroon, Togo, Guinea, Senegal, and especially Gabon, which will host a new infrastructure by the end of 2025.
This strategy aims to build a pan-African network capable of competing with global giants like AWS, Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud, while promoting an indigenous, hybrid, and frugal model tailored to the needs of administrations and SMEs.
The company also emphasizes its ecological dimension. “Digital transition must go hand in hand with energy transition. We choose to integrate innovative solutions that guarantee performance and environmental responsibility,” insists Steve Tchouaga.
Competition and positioning
ST Digital operates in an increasingly competitive field. On one side, telecom operators who already operate their own data centers and seek to attract institutional clients; on the other, cloud giants (from AWS to Microsoft Azure to Google Cloud) who are gradually strengthening their presence in Africa. In addition to these global players, there are a few local initiatives, still limited in size but growing.
In this competitive landscape, ST Digital aims to stand out by highlighting a hybrid model: local infrastructures, cloud services tailored to the needs of administrations and SMEs, and a strong focus on data sovereignty. “We are not trying to copy the hyperscalers, but to offer a credible African alternative, designed to secure strategic data while creating value locally,” summarizes Steve Tchouaga.
