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Apple eyes Kenya green data centre potential

By , Africa editor
Kenya , 18 Sep 2023
Last week, President William Ruto met with Apple CEO Tim Cook.
Last week, President William Ruto met with Apple CEO Tim Cook.

Kenya's green energy production are seen as desirable by tech companies looking to meet sustainability targets.

This is according to the country’s President, William Ruto, who met with several tech CEOs last week, during the US-Kenya business roadshow in San Francisco, California.

Ruto pitched his nation as prime investment destination for tech companies, saying: “If you set up in Kenya. Your African footprint is guaranteed."

Among those he met was Apple CEO Tim Cook, who, according to Ruto, is considering collaborating on the growth of Kenya's start-up ecosystem.

Ruto wrote on X: “We welcome the consideration by Apple — the world’s most valuable multinational technology firm — to work with the Government on the growth of Kenya’s innovation and start-up ecosystem.

“In San Francisco, United States, met the Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook. Kenya’s green data centre potential is one other area that Apple will look into tapping for achieving the company’s sustainability goals.”

With a market capitalisation of $2.96 trillion, Apple is the world's largest company; followed by Microsoft ($2.44 trillion), Saudi Arabian Oil ($2.21 trillion), Alphabet ($1.73 trillion), and Amazon ($1.42 trillion).

Apple's evaluation of Kenya's green data centre potential comes at a time when global technology giants are under pressure to decrease greenhouse gas emissions.

Kenya has emerged as a desirable location for tech companies since more than 70% of Kenya's grid power is generated by green energy, which implies that companies that set up shop in the East African country have an advantage in terms of reaching their sustainability goals, says the government.

Ruto also met with executives of Elon Musk’s Starlink. He said the company presents a promising solution for achieving universal Internet access by overcoming traditional infrastructure limitations.

During his visit, Ruto urged the organisation to work on lowering the cost of Internet connection in Kenya, and across Africa.

He said: “Their investment has the ability to significantly enhance high-speed connectivity in remote villages, schools and various institutions across the country, thus unlocking the full potential of our digital economy.

“Visited StarLink, SpaceX factory in Los Angeles, United States; urged the organisation to work towards reducing the cost of Internet access in the country.”

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