Open Access Data Centres (OADC), the WIOCC Group subsidiary aggressively scaling Africa’s digital spine, has officially finalized the acquisition of seven data centres from NTT DATA South Africa, formerly Dimension Data.
The deal, which received a green light from South Africa’s Competition Commission on December 31, 2025, pushes OADC’s total operational capacity beyond the 25-megawatt (MW) mark.
The acquisition marks a significant pivot in the Southern African market: NTT DATA is divesting from asset-heavy physical infrastructure to focus on managed services, while OADC is doubling down on its “core-to-edge” strategy to support the continent’s booming cloud and AI workloads.
The ‘Sale and Leaseback’ Synergy
This isn’t just a change of ownership. Under a strategic agreement officially signed this week in Fourways, OADC will take over day-to-day operational management of the facilities, while NTT DATA remains the primary tenant, leasing the space back to serve its existing client base.
Operational Continuity: NTT DATA clients will experience no service interruptions; the transition is designed as a backend shift.
Geographic Diversity: The acquired facilities are strategically located across South Africa’s key economic hubs: Johannesburg (Bryanston & Parklands), Cape Town, Durban (Umhlanga), Bloemfontein, Gqeberha, and East London.
Strengthening the Pan-African ‘Digital Stack’
With a major presence already established in Nigeria (Lagos), the DRC (Kinshasa), and South Africa, OADC is positioning itself as the go-to partner for disaster recovery and primary colocation.
“We can provide clients with geographically separated primary and disaster recovery data centre infrastructure for their businesses,” said Dr. Ayotunde Coker, CEO of OADC. “This strengthens our market value proposition, positioning OADC as a critical partner in growing Africa’s digital economy.”
OADC’s Capacity Surge (Post-Acquisition)
| Metric | Pre-Acquisition | Post-Acquisition (2026) | Growth Impact |
| National Footprint (SA) | ~4 Hyperscale + 30 Edge | 41+ Facilities | 🚀 High-Density Coverage |
| Total Power Capacity | ~15MW | 25MW+ | 📈 66% Capacity Increase |
| Key Service Hubs | Lagos, Kinshasa, JHB | Add: Bloemfontein, Gqeberha | 🌍 Continental Leadership |
Consolidation is the New Growth
The African data centre market is projected to reach $6.8 billion by 2030. As hyperscalers like Google and Microsoft increase their local cloud regions, “neutral” players like OADC are winning by providing the “white space” and power required to house these servers.
By acquiring NTT’s localized sites (previously operated by Internet Solutions), OADC isn’t just buying buildings; it’s buying interconnection.
Each of these seven sites represents a new “on-ramp” for African businesses to connect to the global digital economy with lower latency.
Notably, this deal excludes NTT’s Global Data Centre (Johannesburg 1), which NTT continues to operate independently.
