Ivorian data has found board and lodging at the VITIB in Grand-Bassam. Côte d'Ivoire has just inaugurated its 100% African Data Center. This "high-connectivity and backup" infrastructure represents a local achievement in terms of data sovereignty, digital service performance, and the attractiveness of the Ivorian and regional economic ecosystem.
Côte d'Ivoire is asserting its ambition to compete internationally while consolidating its digital sovereignty. This "high-connectivity and optimal security" Data Center will not only offer enhanced attractiveness to both public and private sectors, but also open a wide gateway of opportunities and employment.
Africa is not condemned to depend on major foreign operators to secure its data
"Africa is not condemned to depend on major foreign operators to secure its data, and this project is proof that it is possible, with African expertise, to design, build and operate a data center to international standards," affirmed ST Digital founder Anthony SAME. "The challenge is straightforward: to enable Ivorian and West African stakeholders not only to host their data locally under national jurisdiction and benefit from international standards, but also to develop an ecosystem where engineers, technicians and young local talent find concrete opportunities," added Steve TCHOUAGA, CEO of the Ivorian subsidiary.
However, "Africa accounts for only 1% of the world's data centers. This is an enormous gap that we absolutely must bridge. With the rise of artificial intelligence, the need for data storage and processing infrastructure will explode. If we remain at 1%, we will lose the battle for AI and the Internet. Yet the world must be able to count on Africa," he argued, explaining that it must be understood that all these resources rely on data centers: without them, there is no AI.
What is striking is that on average, 80% of the results we obtain during a search come from data hosted abroad. But AI is nothing more than a product of training, and that training depends directly on the available data. If our data remains elsewhere, then the value created will remain elsewhere.
"It is an ecosystem where innovation develops with both public and private stakeholders. This data centre will therefore create opportunities, jobs, and a new dynamic in Côte d'Ivoire. The municipality's ambition is to be a catalyst for the digital economy." stated Yann-Gabriel N'Zi, representative of the Chief Executive Officer of VITIB, who further underlined that the installation of this type of infrastructure "confirms the relevance of the VITIB model, designed to host and support structuring projects in service of the national and regional digital economy".