Workonline Communications, leading pan-African provider of IP transit, has selected PAIX’s carrier- and cloud-neutral data centre in Accra, Ghana to deploy its first point of presence (POP) in West Africa. This deployment forms a part of Workonline’s strategic plan to help build a robust Internet ecosystem across the continent.

The PAIX Accra (ACC-1) data centre (initially founded as “RackAfrica” in 2011) was upgraded and expanded in 2019 after it was acquired by PAIX Data Centres in 2018. The facility is recognised as the digital gateway to West Africa, with five submarine cables connected; housing equipment of all the major carriers and ISPs; and connecting to all metro fibre providers. It is therefore the best-connected data centre in Ghana.

“This expansion marks an exciting milestone in our African development roadmap,” says Head of Business Development at Workonline Communications, Benjamin Deveaux. “Our expansion provides local ISPs and global CDNs with high quality IP transit services. Our Ghanaian POP will help us extend the reach of our network and support our mission of further developing the Internet ecosystem in Africa,” adds Deveaux.

The combination of carrier- cloud-neutral data centres and well-peered regional IP transit providers often underpins the business case for content providers to invest in a market. The call from the Internet Society (ISOC) to keep Internet traffic within Africa highlights the importance for more content to be available locally. Locally served content vastly improves the user experience and assists in the reduction of the cost of Internet services, in so doing, positively impacting economic growth.

The Ghanaian market has enjoyed a strong growth in demand for data. This is in part due to the ease of doing business in the country, but also the increased uptake of working from home. Internet access penetration across West Africa has grown from less than 10% in 2010 to close to 40% ten years later with the trend expected to accelerate further.

“PAIX Accra (ACC-1) is the cloud and connectivity hub of Ghana, enabling the digital economy in Ghana and the West African region. Workonline’s market entry in Ghana will help serve our diverse customer community to generate new business opportunities,” says Magloire Hiol, Managing Director, Ghana at PAIX Data Centres.

“We are very excited about our network expansion, and we look forward to investing in, and growing with, the Ghanaian Internet community over the years to come,” concluded Deveaux.