Smart Africa and Afriwave Telecom Ghana Limited have partnered to collaborate on the One Africa Network (OAN) and Interconnect Clearinghouse Initiative, Data Centre and Cloud project and intra-Africa connectivity project to advance digital transformation in Africa.

The partners will provide training for decision makers across Africa through the Smart Africa Digital Academy (SADA) vehicle.

Smart Africa is an alliance of 32 African countries, representing over 815 million and over 40 private sector members.

The alliance is empowered by commitment by African heads of state to accelerate sustainable socio-economic development on the continent and usher Africa into the knowledge economy through affordable access to broadband and the use of ICTs.

Its vision is to create a single digital market in Africa by 2030.

Smart Africa Alliance CEO/director general Lacina Kone said, “It is important that we keep Africa’s data within the borders of Africa. In order to achieve that, we must build the capacity to manage and store data on the continent. This partnership with Afriwave will use African skills to advance Africa’s capacity and digital transformation.”

Afriwave Telecom deputy CEO Francis Poku added: “We have always wondered when traffic within Africa will be routed within the borders of the continent. The establishment of intra-African cross-border links and interconnections will create an enabling environment aimed towards achieving the ultimate objective of keeping all African traffic within Africa.”

Afriwave Telecom is the first and the only licenced interconnect clearinghouse (ICH) operator in Ghana and currently provides national telecommunications interconnect clearing services to licenced mobile network operators (MTN, Vodafone, AirtelTigo and Glo mobile) in Ghana.

Afriwave also provides international telecommunications interconnect clearinghouse services to international wholesale carriers who route international telecom traffic into Ghana.