Tanzania’s digital shift gathers pace with $50 million data centre

Dar es Salaam. Wing Africa, a leading force in the continent’s digital transformation, has launched the second phase of its data centre in Tanzania, marking a significant milestone in the country’s technological advancement.

The $50 million investment is expected to bolster Tanzania’s digital infrastructure and position the nation as a competitive player in the expanding global digital economy.

Speaking at yesterday’s launch in Dar es Salaam, Wing Africa CEO Anton Volianskyi highlighted the importance of the new Tier 3 data centre, which is part of the company’s expansion across Africa.

The facility is designed to accommodate the growing demand for data processing and cloud services, especially in an era increasingly driven by artificial intelligence (AI) and high-speed digital transactions.

“As the world moves towards more data-driven technologies, Africa must be ready to support the power and connectivity requirements of these systems. This new facility will play a crucial role in ensuring that we meet those demands and continue to lead digital transformation across the continent,” Mr Volianskyi said.

The expanded facility, located in Mbezi Industrial Area, is now the most connected data centre in Tanzania, boasting interconnections with 13 operators.

“It is designed to provide high-speed internet connectivity, ensuring that local internet traffic remains within the country, thereby reducing latency and costs for businesses and consumers,” Mr Volianskyi  added.

According to him, with a 99.983 percent uptime guarantee, the data centre is built to provide uninterrupted service, a critical requirement for businesses relying on continuous access to cloud-based operations, e-commerce platforms, and digital financial services.

Mr Volianskyi noted that this investment is not only crucial for supporting existing industries but also for ensuring that Tanzania remains competitive in the global market.

“In industries like high-speed trading platforms and digital finance, even a fraction of a second of latency can make a huge difference. Our new facility will give Tanzanian businesses an edge by reducing delays and improving efficiency.”

The investment also includes the addition of 80 high-density racks to the data centre’s infrastructure, bringing the total to 110. This expansion is tailored to meet the growing needs of the financial and technology sectors, which require secure and customized storage solutions.

The financial sector, in particular, has been at the forefront of digital adoption, with banks and fintech firms relying on secure data centres to facilitate transactions and store sensitive customer data.

Furthermore, the new expansion will provide them with increased capacity and reliability.

For his part, Tanzania Internet Service Providers Association (TSPAR) secretary-general Noah Maina said, “By extending the internet exchange to Wing Africa’s data center, we ensure that data traffic remains local, improving efficiency, reducing costs, and optimizing network performance for all operators.”

He added that the partnership between Wing Africa and TSPAR is expected to strengthen Tanzania’s digital infrastructure and contribute to broader digital transformation efforts.

The Tanzanian government has been a key player in creating a stable regulatory environment for technology investments.