Oracle Corporation Wednesday announced it will set up a regional data centre in Kenya making it the second such data centre in Africa.
Speaking when he met Oracle delegation led by Senior Vice President responsible for OCI Product and Industries, Scott Twaddle, President William Ruto said the 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.
He noted that 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, provide digital jobs and digitise government services, Kenya continues to be a prime destination for international IT companies.” President Ruto said.
According to the American technology company the move is aimed at meeting the growing demand for Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) services across Africa, and as part of its global cloud infrastructure.
According to an article by the company, Oracle says it will be taking advantage of Kenya’s renewable energy and digital infrastructure including abundant submarine and national connectivity.
“The planned public cloud region in Nairobi underscores Oracle’s commitment to Africa and aims to help drive the digital transformation of the Kenyan government, public institutions, enterprises, startups, universities, and investors in Kenya and the continent.” Read the article..
Adding that: “Oracle intends to continue expanding OCI’s footprint on the continent, which already includes the Oracle Cloud Johannesburg Region in South Africa.”
“OCI’s unique cloud architecture enables Oracle to offer its full suite of more than 100 hyperscale cloud services. The Government of Kenya and private sector can leverage this to increase ease of doing business in Kenya.”
President Ruto lauded the move saying: “We are delighted to see Oracle planning such an important investment in Kenya.”
Adding that: “I am excited to see major technology companies like Oracle investing in Kenya and bringing state of the art technologies like AI and cloud applications that will benefit Kenyan citizens, especially in creation of jobs.”
Consequently, CS Owalo noted that Oracle’s intent to open a public cloud region in Nairobi will be a key component of Kenya’s Bottom up Economic Transformation Agenda initiative, which is focused on digital transformation, private sector development, agricultural transformation, housing development, and healthcare modernization.
Senior Vice President, Product and Industries, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Scott Twaddle said: “We are delighted to extend our commitment to helping Kenya accelerate the digital transformation of its government and private sector.”
“OCI is leveraged by governments and companies across the world as a scalable and secure platform for mission-critical workloads on which to drive innovation and transformation. We already have a strong business in Kenya, and the upcoming public cloud region in Nairobi represents a significant next step forward in helping support the country’s economic goals.” Said Twaddle.
“Cloud infrastructure means more people can access education, opportunities, and unleash the business potential that without technology could not happen at scale or at speed,” said Rishon Chimboza, Managing Director for Africa, the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (TBI).
Adding that: “TBI will continue to support the Kenyan government and Oracle to put into action an approach that accelerates the ambitions and demands of Kenyans today.”
