Pan-African digital infrastructure firm WIOCC Group and Belgium-headquartered Texaf yesterday signed a shareholder agreement for the operation of Open Access Data Centres (OADC) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

OADC – a WIOCC company – will be the DRC’s first open-access, Tier-III certified, carrier-neutral data centre and is anticipated to go live in November.

WIOCC says the data centre will also create vibrant digital ecosystems and provide content distribution networks and cloud content providers with access to a quality peering location in the country.

“The open, carrier-neutral facility will create the first vibrant and comprehensive interconnection and peering ecosystem in the country involving multiple carriers, internet service providers, content providers and internet exchanges; a first in the DRC, transforming the digital infrastructure ecosystem,” says the company.

Chris Wood, CEO of WIOCC Group, comments: “OADC Kinshasa will boost the DRC’s economy by delivering vibrant digital ecosystems and converged open digital infrastructure services, including tailored colocation and reliable connectivity, used by content providers, cloud operators, telcos and ISPs to provide a multitude of digital products and services to business and domestic customers.”

For Christophe Evers, CFO of TEXAF, partnering with OADC is an essential building block of the digital ecosystem in the DRC.

Evers says: “This fully validates our strategy of attracting international industry leaders such as OADC to the country and specifically into our new SILIKIN VILLAGE digital hub. It is an affirmation of our standing and reputation in the country.”

Mohammed Bouhelal, managing director of OADC DRC, says the data centre in Kinshasa will underpin and expedite further development of the country’s ICT capabilities, delivering colocation and other value-added data centre services that support the cloud infrastructure needs of businesses and enterprises.

“There has already been strong uptake from telcos looking to colocate in our facility, while the banking sector is leading the way in adopting OADC solutions. It is also attracting large international content providers to the DRC,” he says.