MainOne to Launch Data Centre in Accra

MainOne, a leading data centre operator in West Africa, has announced the launch of a new data centre facility through its subsidiary, MDXi.

The Appolonia Data Centre will be operational by the end of June 2021. It is located 20 KM from the Accra, Ghana city centre, expanding MainOne’s footprint in the area.

The new data centre will help MainOne meet the increasing demand for data centre colocation and interconnect services from local and multinational businesses. It will be equipped with 100+ server racks and promises high levels of availability and connectivity with a global network of partners and suppliers.

According to MainOne, the facility is Uptime Tier III certified and is expected to match the performance of the existing Lekki data centre, which has achieved 100% facility uptime since its launch in 2015.

Gbenga Adegbiji, Chief Operating Officer at MDXi stressed the security, resilience, and scalability of the services that will be offered at the Appolonia City Data Centre. He said, “Appolonia Data Center is a state-of-the-art facility that is being built to the highest standards required for today’s digital infrastructure and consistent with the MainOne brand.”

This includes 24x7x365 availability, on-site staff, and continuous monitoring. The site is also equipped for a high level of physical security, with high-definition CCTV cameras, laser-based intrusion detection, and access verification, restriction, and recording.

Data centre staff will be employed by MainOne, rather than a contractor. Emmanuel Kwarteng, Country Manager for MainOne Ghana noted that the new facility “will not only deliver state-of-the-art services but also create jobs, and ultimately contribute to the economic growth of Ghana.”

The new data centre in Ghana is part of an expansion strategy first announced by MainOne in 2018. The strategy also includes new facilities in Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire and Sagamu, Nigeria.

At that time, Funke Opeke, CEO of MainOne, spoke about the rich opportunities for investment in West Africa.

“Given the size of its markets and status as the home of some of Africa’s biggest economies, West Africa has a vantage opportunity to scale up infrastructure deployment to support digital transformation.”

He continued, “Targeted investments in the region will bridge the gap in digital infrastructure and address the increasing reliance on data storage.”