Togo’s President Faure Gnassingbé has launched the country’s first datacentre financed by the World Bank to a tune of US$30-million.

The global financial institution said this was within the framework of the West African Regional Programme for the Development of Communications Infrastructure (WARCIP), aimed at bridging connectivity gaps in 16 countries in West Africa and other parts of the world.

The Bank said the project will help reduce the cost of international connectivity and support Togo’s digital transformation programme.

The datacentre is located in the country’s capital, Lome, and will be used to house sensitive data and provide companies with the space, energy and a cooling circuit required to safely store servers, network and storage equipment.

The country’s Minister of Digital Economy and Digital Transformation Cina Lawson said the datacentre was strategic to Togo and is a tool that responds to the need to improved cyber security and digital sovereignty.

“Lome datacentre constitutes a major infrastructure and is of strategic importance not only to the growth dynamics of our country but also as a powerful lever in achieving the objectives of the 2020-2025 digital Togo strategy (roadmap),” Lawson said.

Coralie Gevers, the World Bank’s director of operations for Togo added: “This investment and the reforms that Togo has been undertaking for year now demonstrate the transformative power of the country,” Gevers said.

On 21 March 2021, the World Bank approved an additional financing of US$11-million from the International Development Agency (IDA) to strengthen internet connectivity and develop the country’s digital economy.

Togo is now officially listed among African countries that house colocation datacentres including Angola, DRC, Kenya, Mauritius, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia and Zimbabwe.