Senegal has announced that it is moving all government and data applications into a new government data center to achieve “digital sovereignty”. Named the Diamniadio National Datacenter and worth 46 billion CFA francs ($18.2 million), it was financed with a Chinese loan.
The facility has a hosting capacity of sqm (5,400 sq ft) and was built with equipment and technical support from China’s Huawei. It will tap into global networks via an undersea cable and the country’s own 6,000-km (3,730-mile) fibre optic network.
Cheikh Bakhoum, director of the State IT Agency, commented: “With this data center, the Senegalese state will be sovereign in terms of data storage. It is a tool that will preserve our informational heritage and benefit the public administration and private companies [national and international]. Until now, the majority of our data has been stored outside, in the United States and in Asia in particular.”
The first phase will reportedly be open in six months and is part of President Macky Sall’s development plan to make Senegal an emerging country by 2025.
