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Oracle picks Kenya for second Africa data centre

President William Ruto during his meeting with officials from the Oracle Corporation, led by Senior Vice-President (OCI Product and Industries) Scott Twaddle, January 31, 2024. (Photo: PCS)

By Manny Anyango | 31 Jan 2024

American technology company Oracle Corporation is planning to set up a regional data centre in Kenya, the second such facility in Africa.

President William Ruto made the announcement on Wednesday following a meeting with a team from Oracle, led by Senior Vice-President (OCI Product and Industries) Scott Twaddle, and local officials including ICT Cabinet Secretary Eliud Owalo and Principal Secretary John Tanui.

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"This announcement underscores Oracle’s commitment to Africa and is aimed at driving the digital transformation of government, public institutions, businesses and start-ups in Kenya," Ruto said.

"Kenya will continue to facilitate technology companies seeking to set up their footprints in Africa. In line with the government’s strategy to lay 100,000km of fibre optic cables, provide digital jobs and digitise government services, Kenya continues to be a prime destination for international IT companies."

ICT Principal Secretary John Tanui during a meeting with President William Ruto and a team from the Oracle Corporation, led by Senior Vice-President Scott Twaddle, on January 31, 2024. (Photo: PCS)

PS Tanui said the move marks a crucial milestone for Silicon Savannah's progress and will improve connectivity infrastructure and create jobs.

“The data centre is vital for digital infrastructure, fuelling the government's digital transformation and enabling digital job opportunities,” he said.

Oracle opened its first data centre in Africa in 2022. The Johannesburg facility was its 37th cloud region, opened as part of a plan for 44 such centres by the end of that year.

The Johannesburg launch was significant as it saw the organisation match up with organisations such as Microsoft and Amazon, which also have facilities in South Africa.

At the time, Cherian Varghese, Oracle's regional managing director for Middle East and Africa, told Reuters that more cloud regions could be opened as it was exploring regions including West Africa.

ICT Cabinet Secretary Eliud Owalo during a meeting with President William Ruto and a team from the Oracle Corporation, led by Senior Vice-President Scott Twaddle, on January 31, 2024. (Photo: PCS)

Last October, Ruto presided over the launch of Amazon Web Services' development centre in Nairobi, a step that he noted would create jobs for the youth.

He said Amazon's cjhoice of Kenya was an endorsement of the country’s progress in the digital sector.

"Kenya has emerged as one of the most exciting frontiers of global tech competitiveness. With high revolutionary potential across all Amazon facilities, the centre will make Kenya the second African hub from which its teams will be developing solutions for partners," he said.

Ruto added that his government would give special attention to education to boost Kenya's human capital.

"We will continue investing in education so that companies like Amazon can come to invest in Kenya," he said.