Oluwafiropo Tobi Ogundare, Red Hat regional sales lead for West Africa and Mauritius.

Data centres have evolved into a force that facilitates digital transformation, while also supporting cloud services across West Africa.

This is according to Oluwafiropo Tobi Ogundare, Red Hat regional sales lead for West Africa and Mauritius, who said data centres also play a major role in satisfying data sovereignty concerns, and assisting governments and regulators in ensuring all regulatory frameworks and legal standards are followed.

In a recent interview with ITWeb Africa, Ogundare stated that data centres promote technological innovation in the region.

The discussion with ITWeb Africa focused on emerging trends driving digital transformation in West Africa, specifically in finance, telecommunications and energy.

The interview covered how businesses can leverage open source technologies to drive growth and improve operational efficiency, as well as how cloud computing, automation and cyber security will shape the future of digital business.

On data centres, he commented: “You can see in the cities and regions where operators are building new infrastructure, digital transformation is taking place and those regions serve as innovation hubs, providing benefits such as local economic growth and job creation.

“It also enables West Africa to embrace data analytics, helping businesses process the data they’re sitting with.

“As a result, data centres will play a key role in the advancement of artificial intelligence in the region, as well as critical security functions, such as data security, backup and disaster recovery.

“All of this is essential for the region and helps facilitate the internet of things (IOT).

“Recently, I have had many interactions with customers with regard to the growth of IOT and how customers are looking to automate and optimise their technology ecosystems, connecting devices and driving efficiency across different sectors.”

ITWeb Africa asked Ogundare to comment on Africa's data centre market, which is expanding at an unprecedented rate, and how he would sum up this expansion in West Africa.

Ogundare responded: “Africa’s data centre market is growing exponentially, fuelled by a combination of different factors. These include the rapid expansion of infrastructure. New and existing operators are making inroads into Africa and setting up regional centres to meet the ever-growing demand for cloud computing.

“Investment has surged in the region thanks to international players arriving, helping to meet the growing needs resulting from digital transformation. Across multiple industries, the demand for cloud computing, storage and managed services is growing.

“There are also factors such as energy efficiency and the growing need for sustainability, as well as government-led initiatives that are supporting this growth of IT infrastructure through regulatory frameworks and incentives.

“We also see the benefits of these factors in the local start-up landscape, which has grown significantly and is delivering new kinds of innovation.”

He continued: “All of this directly correlates to the level of demand on the ground. When you look at enterprise customers who want to do away with their hefty and outdated infrastructure, data centres become a stopgap measure to help alleviate their immediate concerns.

“And as demand continues to grow, particularly in sectors such as financial services and telecommunications, the region will be well-positioned thanks to the influx of investment and a supportive regulatory environment.”

Open source technology drives growth

Turning to how businesses in the region and across Africa can use open source technologies to fuel growth and enhance operational efficiency, Ogundare said: “When we talk about open source, the first thing we talk about is cost. As someone who helps to drive the sale of enterprise open source solutions in the West African market, the question I hear most from customers is: ‘Is this free?’

“Open source help customers eliminate the need for expensive, proprietary licences and lets them allocate funds towards more innovative developments. Open source also allows for an ecosystem where people can contribute to projects for the benefit of the community and enterprises that need and consistently require improvement and updates to significant investments they're making in technology.”

In addition, he said: “Open source helps customers avoid lock-in and allows for greater levels of flexibility and customisation, helping customers tailor their applications to meet their specific needs. When we talk about innovation and collaboration, open source allows businesses to easily adopt and implement.

“It allows them to enhance the security and reliability of their systems, all while remaining transparent and providing a road map for the future development of their organisations.”