Specifically, DFC - America’s development finance institution, will use its $300 million loan facility to Africa Data Centers (ADCs) to construct the new facility that is touted as a 'first-of-its-kind'.
Announced as part of the G7's Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII) initiative, the Whitehouse stated:
"Africa accounts for less than one percent of total available global data centre capacity despite being home to 17% of the world’s total population. This investment builds on the Vice President’s recent trip to Ghana and is laying the groundwork for a digital revolution on the continent by increasing access to cloud-based technologies, bringing down the cost of internet, which facilitate greater access to women, and making the continent a more competitive destination for industry."
At the same time, DFC, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) are also supporting investments in digital infrastructure and improved access to digital services in Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
This will be achieved by extending the financing for Africell in the DRC, Sierra Leone, and the Gambia, the Export-Import Bank of the United States (US EXIM) is continuing its due diligence for a new transaction supporting the expansion of wireless services, and USAID is announcing a digital payments initiative with Africell in Angola.
While in the DRC USTDA and USAID are providing early-stage support for the expansion of last-mile connectivity with Jenny Internet, fibre network expansion to connect more than 30 towns with Bandwidth and Cloud Services Group, expansion of rural internet connectivity for half a million people with Global Broadband Solution SARL, and piloting of Parallel Wireless’ Open Radio Access Networks equipment with Vodacom DRC in five villages.
