EXPANDING AFRICAN DATA CENTER FOOTPRINT

Pan-African data center developer and operator Raxio Group, has today announced a partnership with Meridiam to deploy a network of data centers across Africa.

Meridiam is a global developer, asset and fund manager focused on sustainable infrastructure and energy transition projects with significant presence in the African continent. Based on the new partnership with Raxio, Meridiam will invest $48 million to support the continued deployment of data centers in Africa.

“We are delighted to welcome Meridiam as our new investment partner in our shared vision. This investment comes at an ideal time, as we have continued our expansion activities by investing in our third facility – in the Democratic Republic of Congo – following our first flagship facility in Uganda and launching the construction of our Ethiopian data center,” said Robert Mullins, CEO of Raxio Group.

“Customers are core to the design process to ensure our facilities are efficient, sustainable and cost-effective. With its extensive knowledge in the development of sustainable infrastructure in the region, we are convinced Meridiam is the partner of choice for us to continue our deployment plans and reach our targets.”

In Africa, Meridiam ongoing infrastructure investments are spread across the energy sectors and markets, featuring the following project:

  • 4 solar power plants in Senegal
  • Tulu Moye, a geothermal power plant and the first IPP (Independent Power Producer) in Ethiopia
  • The Kinguele Aval Hydropower plant, which is expected to deliver about 13% of the electricity needs of Libreville, the capital city of Gabon
  • The Biokala biomass power plant in Côte d’Ivoire, claimed to be the largest biomass power plant in Sub-Saharan Africa which will be fuelled from agricultural waste and expected to meet the electricity needs of the equivalent of 1.7 million people per year,
  • NeOT, a company rolling out 300,000 solar home systems and mini-grids across West Africa

“Investing in Raxio’s data center platform was a natural move for us, as it fits our purpose to delivering sustainable infrastructure that improves the quality of people’s lives,” said Mathieu Peller, COO Africa for Meridiam.

“We are excited to contribute to developing Africa’s digital infrastructure, by helping to roll-out energy efficient data centers that will drive the digital transformation of the continent and be a catalyst for highly skilled jobs creation, whilst respecting the local environment.”

The Meridiam’s latest investment is made through Raxio’s founding equity partner, Roha Group which established the data center company in 2018 and has been funding the company.