This remarkable pioneering achievement underscores OADC Texaf – Kinshasa’s steadfast commitment to delivering secure, resilient and world-class digital infrastructure services in the DRC that meet stringent global standards.

ISO 27001, the globally recognised standard for Information Security Management Systems (ISMS), validates that OADC Texaf – Kinshasa has implemented robust measures for its information security management, demonstrating its ability to reassure clients of its information security integrity.

This certification also underpins the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) Certification.

PCI-DSS compliance establishes the data centre as a trusted partner for the financial services and payments industry.

This globally recognised certification demonstrates adherence to stringent payments industry security protocols and controls, playing a key role in transforming the DRC’s financial and payments ecosystem.

It also provides critical reassurance in meeting the growing demands for financial inclusion among the DRC population.

Finally, ISO 22301 certification; the Business Continuity Management System (BCMS) ensures uninterrupted service delivery and rapid recovery from unforeseen disruptions, providing clients with critical assurances of operational excellence and resilience – a cornerstone of trust and reliability for business demanding the utmost in operational integrity.

Mr. Mohammed Bouhelal, managing director of OADC Texaf – Kinshasa, remarked:

“Achieving ISO 27001, ISO 22301 and PCI DSS certifications is a testament to our unwavering dedication to operational excellence and client-centric service delivery. These milestones position OADC as a leader in secure and resilient digital infrastructure, supporting the growth of the DRC’s digital economy and fostering trust among local and international businesses.”

These certifications hold immense significance for OADC Texaf – Kinshasa’s diverse clientele, including Internet Service Providers (ISPs), telecommunications carriers, enterprise clients, banks and other financial services companies.

By meeting and exceeding global standards, OADC Texaf – Kinshasa strengthens the foundation for secure and reliable digital services, enabling innovation and economic growth across the region.

This achievement also bolsters the DRC’s position as an emerging hub for digital infrastructure in Africa, attracting foreign investment and fostering confidence in the country’s digital transformation journey.

As the demand for secure, resilient and compliant data centre services grows, OADC Texaf – Kinshasa remains at the forefront, setting benchmarks for excellence and shaping the future of the digital economy in the DRC and central Africa.

Sofibanque has decided to significantly upgrade and transform its IT systems, and therefore to improve service and customer experience, by colocating its equipment in a world-class secured environment.

The OADC Texaf – Kinshasa facility, with its 2MW capacity, has set the benchmark as the cornerstone of the DRC’s emerging digital ecosystem.

It is on track to achieve ISO27001 post-live certification, a first of other ISO Certifications, underscoring its commitment to the highest standards of security, operational excellence and client satisfaction.

Such a facility is particularly suited for the demanding requirements of the banking sector and other corporates, which include secure, reliable, scalable and cost-effective infrastructure.

This move underscores Sofibanque’s commitment to driving digital transformation in the DRC.

A colocation data centre like OADC Texaf – Kinshasa enables banks to modernise their IT operations, bring agility to expand for customer acquisition and growth.

By colocating their critical IT systems in a certified facility, financial institutions such as Sofibanque can benefit from enhanced physical security, sustained uptime and compliance with international standards and national regulations, all of which are crucial for supporting the expanding digital economy.

By partnering with OADC Texaf – Kinshasa, Sofibanque strengthens its digital capabilities, reinforcing its leadership in the DRC’s banking sector.

By leveraging the world-class colocation services at OADC Texaf – Kinshasa, Sofibanque will ensure superior service delivery to its growing customer base while also providing cost savings compared to maintaining in-house data storage and management systems.

With all the leading carriers installed in OADC Texaf connectivity ecosystem, Sofibanque has direct access to connectivity services, achieving efficient connectivity in tandem with cost savings.

For OADC Texaf – Kinshasa, this partnership marks a significant milestone, establishing the facility as a critical hub in the financial infrastructure of Central Africa.

As more banks follow Sofibanque, OADC Texaf – Kinshasa is set to become a cornerstone of the region’s digital transformation, driving financial inclusion and innovation in the region’s banking sector.

“This collective shift towards advanced infrastructure will play a critical role in the economic development of the DRC and neighbouring countries, fostering a more inclusive financial system and supporting broader socio-economic progress. We are proud to support Sofibanque in their journey towards digital transformation and look forward to welcoming other local and pan Africa banks” said Mohammed Bouhelal, managing director of OADC Texaf Kinshasa.

Henry Wazne, managing director and CEO of Sofibanque, added,

“Our decision to partner with OADC Texaf Digital – Kinshasa reflects our commitment to offering the best possible service to our customers. The facility’s advanced infrastructure will enhance the availability of our services, allowing us to meet the growing demands of the market and support our long-term digital strategy. This partnership is a key step in our journey towards a more robust and agile IT environment that supports both our customers and the broader financial ecosystem in the DRC.”

This partnership positions ST Digital at the forefront of the region’s digital transformation, leveraging the world-class infrastructure of the DRC’s first live open-access, carrier-neutral and Uptime Institute Tier-III certified data centre.

The OADC Texaf – Kinshasa facility, with its 2MW capacity, has set the benchmark as the cornerstone of the DRC’s emerging digital ecosystem.

It is on track to achieve ISO27001 post-live certification, underscoring its commitment to the highest standards of security and operational excellence.

Already home to most of the leading national and international carriers, the facility offers the first carrier neutral open access vibrant interconnect ecosystem and a compelling environment for content providers such as ST Digital to deliver high-quality content and services to the growing population.

Content providers play a crucial role in the digital landscape, especially in a rapidly developing market like the DRC, where the growing population is driving a need for digital transformation.

By colocating in the OADC Texaf – Kinshasa data centre, ST Digital will be well-positioned to meet the rising demand for content as connectivity improves and more citizens have access to reliable Internet.

“Our facility offers the ideal environment for this growth, providing secure, carrier-neutral, open-access, reliable and scalable infrastructure that supports the delivery of diverse digital content across the region,” said Mohammed Bouhelal, managing director of OADC Texaf.

The DRC, with its population of over 100 million, and a vibrant city of Kinshasa with over 16 million inhabitants is experiencing significant growth in content consumption driven by increased access to connectivity and ongoing digitalisation efforts. As the government and private sector continue to invest in digital infrastructure, the demand for localised and high-quality content is expected to rise sharply.

ST Digital’s entry into the DRC market through the OADC Texaf – Kinshasa data centre is a strategic move that will enable the company to tap into this growing demand and provide faster, more reliable content delivery to millions of users.

“The DRC’s digital transformation is creating immense opportunities for content providers, and our expansion into this market is a key part of our growth strategy. By partnering with OADC Texaf – Kinshasa, we can ensure that our content reaches audiences with the speed, security and quality they expect. This move will not only benefit our business but also contribute to the overall digitalisation of the DRC, enhancing access to information and entertainment for a wider population,” said Jean-Francis AHANDA, General Manager Data Center services, ST Digital.

• OADC Texaf Digital – Kinshasa is the DRC’s first live Uptime Institute Tier-III certified open-access colocation data centre
• OADC Texaf Digital – Kinshasa an essential building block of DRC’s expanding digital ecosystem
• Multiple sectors of DRC economy will benefit from accelerated digitalisation

The first phase of OADC Texaf Digital – Kinshasa, a joint venture between Open Access Data Centres (OADC) and TEXAF, is now live, Techeconomy can report.

OADC Texaf Digital is establishing a vibrant digital ecosystem supporting Internet Exchanges, content providers, cloud operators, carriers, telcos and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in offering a wide range of digital products and services to business and domestic customers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

The 2MW-capable facility is the DRC’s first live open-access, carrier-neutral and Uptime Institute Tier-III certified data centre, with ISO27001 post live certification on track for Q3 2024.

Clients are already establishing and installing in the facility and all major fibre network providers are present to provide vibrant interconnect to tenants.

The facility offers integrated core digital infrastructure solutions comprising tailored colocation services together with a wide range of reliable connectivity and peering options.

Power to the data centre is fed from utility sourced from hydro generation ensuring environmentally sustainable power generation in tandem with low Power Utilisation Effectiveness (PUE).

The facility underpins and is accelerating the country’s digitalisation and ICT capabilities, enabling clients to cost-effectively, flexibly and securely grow their operations within the DRC.

With a population of more than 16 million, Kinshasa is at the epicentre of demand for digital connectivity services within the DRC and the region.

OADC Texaf Digital – Kinshasa, located within TEXAF’s SILIKIN VILLAGE digital hub, is operated by the award-winning WIOCC Group company OADC, Africa’s fastest-growing data centre company.

Configured with 1,500 square metres of IT white space to accommodate more than 550 racks, it delivers colocation, interconnect and peering services to support the colocation needs of enterprise clients, content distribution networks, local and international cloud providers.

This enables them to improve efficiency, expedite digitisation initiatives, and more effectively service business and customer needs.

This infrastructure, with its white space architecture and the interconnect and peering ecosystem, is ideally suited to the large international Content Distribution Networks, global content companies and cloud providers that will be able to invest in the DRC.

Mohammed Bouhelal, managing director of OADC Texaf DRC, commented:

“OADC Texaf Digital – Kinshasa is central to boosting many sectors of the DRC’s economy, creating rich and vibrant digital ecosystems, and providing content distribution networks and cloud content providers with access to a quality peering location in the country.”

He added:

“We already have over 12 leading national and international carriers connected, with the banking sector being the leading adopter of OADC Texaf Digital – Kinshasa solutions. The open-access, carrier-neutral facility is set to transform the country’s digital infrastructure by creating a comprehensive, vibrant interconnection and peering ecosystem involving multiple carriers, ISPs, content providers and Internet Exchanges.”

The facility embodies carrier-neutral principles, maximising interconnection opportunities for all clients.

Increased competition and improved operator cost-efficiencies will contribute to the expected decrease in the cost of internet connectivity for the Congolese people and companies, serving as a major enabler for expansion of the DRC’s digital ecosystem.

It will not only offer businesses a viable alternative to self-build and self-manage data centre facilities, with all the benefits of dedicated resource, expertise, management time and costs that come with that, but also support the cloud infrastructure and content needs of a wide range of businesses and enterprises.

Carriers will benefit too, as OADC Texaf Digital – Kinshasa offers them both additional connectivity revenue opportunities and the opportunity to extend their service portfolios to include managed colocation services.

OADC and TEXAF have partnered in creating this essential building block of the DRC’s digital transformation.

This fully validates TEXAF’s strategy of attracting international industry leaders such as OADC into the country and specifically into the new SILIKIN VILLAGE digital hub.

Christophe Evers, chairman of OADC Texaf’s board of directors, said,

“Establishing a strategic partnership to build a data centre in the DRC is crucial for driving digital transformation and economic growth in the region.

By leveraging the joint strengths and expertise of OADC and TEXAF, we are not only enhancing digital connectivity and infrastructure but also creating opportunities for businesses to thrive in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.

This collaboration underscores our commitment to delivering world-class data centre services that meet the growing demands of enterprises and support the broader objectives of economic development in the DRC. It is a cornerstone of the DRC’s National Digital Plan announced by the President of the Republic.”

Key point:

• In this classification, Tier-III design certification signifies that OADC Texaf Kinshasa has been designed to ensure high availability and redundancy, with multiple distribution paths for power and cooling, as well as concurrently maintainable infrastructure.

Scheduled to go live in Q3 2024, the 2MW-capable hyperscale core facility will feature an initial 400 square meters of IT white space, power security, open-access connectivity and guaranteed uptime.

It will offer colocation and other value-added data centre services to support the cloud infrastructure needs of a wide range of businesses and enterprises.

This development will accelerate the country’s digitalisation, benefiting multiple sectors of the DRC’s economy.

OADC Texaf Kinshasa is set to expand to 1,000 square meters of white space, ultimately accommodating more than 550 racks.

Located adjacent to major fibre routes and offering connectivity through a variety of onsite providers, the open-access facility allows clients to connect easily to their preferred provider.

Mohammed Bouhelal, managing director of the OADC Texaf operation in the DRC commented,

“This certification reflects our dedication to meeting and exceeding international standards in data centre operations. It reaffirms our commitment to deliver the highest level of reliability and uptime, suitable for mission-critical applications and services needed to expedite further development of the DRC’s ICT capabilities.”

OADC Texaf Kinshasa has successfully secured ten leading national and international carriers in its Meet Me Room (MMR), with the banking sector also adopting OADC Texaf solutions.

This achievement supports its mission to develop a rich and dynamic digital ecosystem, providing content distribution networks, cloud content providers and enterprises with access to a high-quality peering and colocation services location in the country.

Mr. Bouhelal adds,

“OADC Texaf Kinshasa is not just a data centre; it is a comprehensive, vibrant interconnected digital ecosystem and a strategic partner for clients seeking reliable, secure and sustainable infrastructure and connectivity solutions. We remain committed to providing our clients with services to support their business growth and success.”

OADC and TEXAF have partnered in the creation of this essential building block of the digital ecosystem in the DRC.

This fully validates TEXAF’s strategy of attracting international industry leaders such as OADC to the country and specifically into the new SILIKIN VILLAGE digital hub.

Christophe Evers, the chairman, said,

“OADC Texaf Kinshasa will boost multiple sectors of DRC’s economy. The facility embodies carrier-neutral principles, maximising interconnection opportunities for all clients. Increased competition and improved operator cost-efficiencies will contribute to the expected decrease in cost of internet connectivity for the Congolese people and companies. It will be major enabler for the emergence and enhancement of the DRC’s digital ecosystem.”