The “Kenya Data Center Market – Investment Analysis & Growth Opportunities 2022-2027” report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com’s offering.

This report analyses the Kenya data center market share. It elaboratively analyses the existing and upcoming facilities and investments in IT, electrical, mechanical infrastructure, general construction, and tier standards. It discusses market sizing and investment estimation for different segments.

Kenya is among the emerging markets in Africa. The increase in internet and social media penetration driven by COVID-19, deployment of 5G, improved inland connectivity, and low electricity and land prices make the country an attractive market for investors. Nairobi is the primary location for data center investment in Kenya, followed by Mombasa and other cities such as Butere and Masinga.

Hybrid cloud services are gaining increased traction in the nation. Most enterprises use private and public cloud environments to improve information sharing and efficiently manage data in the country. The increasing investment in renewable energy sources such as solar and wind will drive interest among operators to sign PPAs to procure renewable energy to power data center facilities in the country.

Further, developing Special Economic Zones (SEZs), Free Trade Zones (FTZs), and smart city investments will also boost the Kenya data center market.

Key Highlights                                                               

Kenya has around nine operational colocation data centers. Most colocation centers are designed according to Tier III standards. For instance, Safaricom’s Nairobi facility is Tier III certified by Uptime Institute for its design documents.

The COVID-19 impact and remote working have led to an increase in data generation at local levels. In addition, migration from on-premises to colocation, cloud, and managed services will boost the Kenya data center market.

Africa Data Centres, icolo.io (Digital Realty), and IXAfrica are among the top operators in the country. They have planned to increase their footprint with new facilities investments and expansion activities.

The data Protection Act, 2019 (DPA) is the data privacy law in Kenya that will protect the citizens’ personal data confidentiality, boosting the Kenya data center market.

The country is also witnessing improvements in submarine and inland connectivity. For instance, 2Africa, the longest subsea cable, will connect Kenya with other countries such as South Africa, India, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Spain, the UK, Oman, and other countries.

The country’s government is developing the Konza National data center and smart city through the Konza Technopolis Development Authority (KoTDA) and will receive financing from Huawei.

Vendor Landscape

Some of the vital colocation investors in the Kenya data center market in 2021 included Africa Data Centres, IXAfrica, Cloudoon, and icolo.io (Digital Realty).

The country has also witnessed new market entrants increasing its regional footprint. Open Access Data Centers (OADC) is among the new entrants and has planned to develop two centers in Mombasa and Nairobi.

Cloudoon, among the other new entrants, has announced its plan to build the largest green data center facility, Masinga Green Data Center (MAS101). The facility will be powered by solar power and hydroelectricity.

Telecom operators such as Safaricom, Airtel Kenya, and Telkom Kenya have either deployed 5G technology in some cities on a trial basis or are launching commercial 5G services across the country.