Gabon has launched its first sovereign data centre, strengthening its efforts to localise digital services and expand national control over critical data infrastructure.
According to the official portal of the Gabonese government, the Tier III facility was developed through a strategic partnership between the state and ST DIGITAL.
The facility comes as African governments increasingly seek to develop local data infrastructure to support cloud adoption, cybersecurity requirements and compliance with data protection regulations.
By hosting more government and business workloads locally, countries aim to reduce dependence on offshore infrastructure while improving control over sensitive information.
The new facility was inaugurated by president Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema and minister of digital economy, digitalisation and innovation Marc Alexandre Doumba, with Laïcka Mba, managing director of ST DIGITAL Gabon, in attendance.
The facility’s modular and scalable architecture is designed to support the growing needs of government agencies, businesses and financial institutions in the region.
Gabon has been pursuing a broader digital transformation agenda focused on expanding connectivity, improving public-sector digital services and building technology capabilities.
The data centre forms part of this wider push to strengthen the country’s digital ecosystem and support emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing.
The infrastructure will allow Gabon to reduce reliance on data centres located outside Africa while supporting data localisation, cybersecurity, regulatory compliance and digital sovereignty, according to the government.
It will also provide banks, public administrations, telecommunications operators, financial technology companies and technology start-ups with infrastructure designed to meet international standards.
ST DIGITAL’s involvement builds on its presence in Gabon’s technology sector, where it provides digital infrastructure and enterprise technology services.
Further details on the partnership structure, including the company’s operational role in the facility, were not disclosed.
Officials said the facility requires 1MW of installed electrical power, with a phased rollout planned.
It has a total capacity of 92 racks, each capable of housing up to 42 physical servers, providing capacity for nearly 3 000 physical servers at full deployment — equivalent to 20 000 to 35 000 virtual servers.
The first phase includes a 65-square-metre colocation space designed to support the availability of digital services.
To ensure service continuity, the facility uses a dual power supply comprising a 15kV main line and redundant 150kVA and 100kVA units configured in an N+1 architecture.
A photovoltaic power plant provides nearly 22% of the site's energy needs, according to officials.
The data centre is connected to the African Coast to Europe and South Africa Far East/West Africa submarine cable systems, providing regional connectivity. It is also connected to national operators through secure peering arrangements and dedicated high-availability links.
The government said this configuration enables Gabon to offer some of the lowest latency times in the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa region.
“The first phase of operation will allow for the hosting of government, business and personal data within the national territory. The complex includes a cloud room, a colocation room and a private room for specific uses, particularly in artificial intelligence. It will also offer sovereign cloud services, secure hosting, local and off-site backup, advanced cybersecurity, information systems monitoring, business continuity and managed services,” the government said.
A second phase will focus on developing additional digital services.
In line with the National Growth and Development Plan 2026-2030 and the ambitions of the African Continental Free Trade Area, Gabon aims to strengthen control of its digital value chain and expand its role in the Central African digital economy.
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