Wingu Inaugurates ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia – June 13, 2023
The East Africa focused specialist and pioneering data center group, wingu.africa group limited (Wingu) today unveiled its highly anticipated main data center facility during an exclusive launch event held at the ICT Park in Addis Ababa Ethiopia. Wingu’s data center, the first of its kind in Ethiopia, is both carrier and cloud neutral, and designed to ensure customers always enjoy uninterrupted services, with independent back-up systems for power, cooling, and network connectivity.
With the event tagline “Ethiopia’s digital economy just got an upgrade”, the launch attracted a high-profile list of attendees, including influential business owners from different sectors and senior government officials. The attendees were given an exclusive tour of Wingu’s data center, providing them with firsthand experience of the advanced infrastructure and innovative features, including world-class design and specialist equipment to ensure highest levels of sustainability and energy efficiency. Wingu’s facility has been accepted for Tier III certification by Uptime Institute, the leading certification body globally for data centers.
The new data center, situated within the country’s ICT Park, is located on Wingu’s 15 000 square meter plot, which is being developed as a data center campus. The main facility has taken 24 months to construct, however, Wingu started operations in May 2022, with a fast-tracked data center unit to cater for immediate needs of its customers, including Safaricom Ethiopia. As a specialist data center company, all the data centers operated by the group in its four markets of Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somaliland, and Tanzania provide the highest standards of security, technology, and regulatory-compliant data storage.
Following a phased approach to its expansion plans for Ethiopia, the inauguration marked the culmination of 24 months of construction and an investment more than USD 15 million. Further expansion of the ICT Park data center is planned, with total power requirement expected to reach 12MW. Wingu is also actively considering other locations in Ethiopia and expects to have 3 to 4 data centers operating to meet the needs of the growing Ethiopian economy, committing to a total investment of over USD 50 million.
The new Wingu data center will also play host to the first Internet Exchange Point (IXP) in the country (ADDIX). This strategic initiative will enhance the reliability and availability of internet services across the country. The core objectives of ADDIX and Wingu are to deliver cost-effective, faster, and more reliable internet services, further propelling Ethiopia’s digital growth.
By offering access to multiple networks and cloud infrastructure, Wingu empowers businesses through choice and ultimately the benefit of improved service levels and competitive pricing. The presence of a carrier-neutral data center is vital for Ethiopia to fit with global trends and requirements for carrier-neutrality and open access. Wingu’s data center will also support initiatives to bring additional data capacity to Ethiopia through connectivity to global fiber optic cable systems, while also enticing major content providers such as Meta, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Alibaba, Microsoft, and Google.
Wingu’s carrier-neutral data center functions as a one-stop shop, enabling customers to easily access a range of services, and contributes to Ethiopia’s vision of digital transformation and to becoming an ICT Hub for East Africa.
During the launch event, Mr. Anthony Voscarides, Group CEO and Co-Founder of Wingu, expressed his excitement, stating, “Today, we celebrate a remarkable achievement in Ethiopia’s digital landscape. With the introduction of our carrier-neutral data center, Wingu is proud to offer a technological ecosystem that will drive innovation, foster collaboration, and enable growth and opportunity in society.”
“Wingu’s business is about trust and reliability,” stated Anthony Voscarides, Group CEO and Co-Founder. “With more than a decade of successfully operating our first data center in Djibouti, we are pleased to be able to bring our experience and track-record to Ethiopia, and provide our customers here with the same services, and peace of mind.”
“Customers no longer want to or need to maintain their own hardware or in-house facilities. Instead, they can benefit from partnering with Wingu, where we can offer the reliability and expertise they seek, from Infrastructure-as-a-Service to back-up, recovery and more.”
He further added, “Because Wingu is carrier-neutral, meaning we welcome everyone, our customers know that they can choose what’s best for them and as this is our core business, we also are constantly investing in additional capacity and upgrading our facilities, to always provide the very best data solutions.”
Mr. Nicholas Lodge, Director, and Co-Founder of Wingu, joined Mr. Voscarides on stage, highlighting the pivotal role played by Wingu in revolutionizing Ethiopia’s digital landscape. He stated, “As Ethiopia emerges as a regional ICT hub, the need for carrier-neutral data centers will become more and more apparent. Wingu stands proudly at the forefront of this transformative shift, providing a diverse network and cloud infrastructure that empowers our clients with choice, superior service levels, and competitive pricing. As the first carrier-neutral data center in Ethiopia, we are proud to support the growth of the digital economy.”
The launch event was attended by various Ministers, representing different branches of government who acknowledged the potential to attract global tech giants, foster collaboration among local and international stakeholders, and bolster Ethiopia’s position in the global digital landscape, the government representatives highlighted the administration’s unwavering support for initiatives that drive technological progress.
Wingu’s facility aligns seamlessly with Ethiopia’s vision of becoming a leading player in the ICT sector. Equipped with world-class infrastructure, award-winning security measures, and unrivaled connectivity options. By empowering businesses to thrive in an increasingly interconnected world, Wingu is playing a pivotal role in driving Ethiopia’s digital economy to new heights.