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In Focus | Africa
Will giants Microsoft, Amazon and Huawei outpace African operators in race to dominate the Cloud?

Though there are still very few data centres on the African continent, in no small part due to a lack of reliable power, a few independent groups have managed to break into the sector. But they are now facing a serious challenge with the arrival of the world's internet giants, which are targeting South Africa to place their infrastructure. [...]

Published on 15/11/2021 at 06:00 GMT Reading time 7 minutes Clotilde Ravel

Vantage Data Centers' three-data center campus project in South Africa (Waterfall City). © Vantage Data Centers

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Morocco
Partnership in the works between Maroc Telecom and Google Cloud

The country's leading telecoms operator is preparing to enter into a partnership with the North American cloud giant. The aim is to take advantage of renewable energies and establish a regional data storage hub.

Subscribers only Business 18.07.2025

An ad for Maroc Telecom in Essaouira, Morocco, on 1 April 2022.

Cameroon
Intelligence services catch wind of submarine cable hack

Cameroon's intelligence services have flagged a possible telecommunications infrastructure security breach.

Subscribers only Defence, Infrastructure 29.07.2024

The New Guard
Senegal, DR Congo, Ethiopia and Egypt

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Subscribers only Finance, Energy, Politics, Business 30.11.2022

Africa
DFC is Washington's financial arm of choice to counter Chinese influence

The US International Development Finance Corp (DFC), which was relaunched two years ago, is increasing its activity on the African continent. Washington has made the DFC, which invests in the private sector, its key weapon for attracting African countries wooed by Beijing.

Free access Finance, Diplomacy 20.10.2022

Morocco
King's favourite construction company CMS sets sights on Inwi data centres and Attijari's HQ

Bought in 2016 by the former "king's steward" Zouhair Fassi Fehri, Construction Management Services is creating a branch dedicated to telecom infrastructures and has already approached Inwi, the operator owned by the royal holding company Al Mada.

Subscribers only Infrastructure 19.07.2022

Morocco
Palace pals look for cybersecurity partners in Israel

Moroccan cybersecurity experts Cyberforce and Alomra Group International, owned by members of Mohammed VI's inner circle, took part in Morocco's first trade mission to Israel in March.

Subscribers only Business 24.03.2022

Morocco
Who's who in first lady Salwa Akhannouch's Wasal, the would-be 'African Amazon'

The prime minister's wife and her two daughters are behind the nascent online retailer, which models itself on Jeff Bezos's behemoth.

Subscribers only Business 20.12.2021

Salwa Akhannouch, wife of Moroccan Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch and head of Aksal.

Africa
War for control of Africa internet registry moves to US

AfriNIC, which manages the continent's IP address pool, has crossed swords with Hong Kong entrepreneur Lu Heng, who is suspected of selling addresses to non-African clients. His companies, Cloud Innovation and Larus, have hired an American law firm to represent them in the United States.

Subscribers only Business 16.12.2021

Morocco
Mining magnate Adonis Pouroulis bets big on gas-to-power with Chariot

Previously active in exploring for oil in little-known border regions, the Cypriot businessman has switched his business model to gas, including off the coast of Morocco, as a survival strategy.

Subscribers only Energy 16.11.2021

Spotlight | South Africa
Ramaphosa's COP26 decarbonising plans constrained by electoral considerations

The South African leader and Andre de Ruyter, the boss of the public electricity company Eskom Holdings, are juggling two challenges: finding funds to finance the decarbonisation of the economy while keeping the mining unions, a wellspring of potential ANC voters, on board.

Subscribers only Energy, Politics 28.10.2021

South African president Cyril Ramaphosa.

Kenya
KenGen hopes to diversify business with Tier IV data centre

The Kenya Electricity Generating Co (KenGen) is honing in on plans to develop its own data centres announced last year.

Subscribers only Energy, Business 27.10.2021

Mozambique
78-year-old ex-president Guebuza makes comeback with data centres

His son and his former private secretary may be at the heart of the high-profile hidden loans trial that opened in Maputo in August, but former president Armando Guebuza is continuing to expand his business interests through Intelec Holdings.

Subscribers only Business 24.09.2021

Former Mozambican president Armando Guebuza.

Morocco, Tunisia
After Cloud Temple and Inwi, Mohamed Ali Chouchane sits on cloud nine in Casablanca

Following a seven-month spell as the technical director of Inwi, the telecommunication operator owned by Al Mada, Mohamed Ali Chouchane has created his own consultancy Innovcity, based in Casablanca.

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Africa
Google and Facebook's submarine rivalry to cable Africa

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Free access Business 08.10.2020

Africa
How Amazon's cloud gets African businesses hooked

To expand its foothold on the continent, Jeff Bezos' e-commerce giant is offering free data storage services to carefully selected African start-ups with the help of business angels the likes of Cameroonian Rebecca Enonchong and the British-Nigerian Tomi Davies.

Subscribers only Business 18.08.2020

Morocco
Inwi plans to overtake IAM on public sector and corporate markets

Telecoms operator Inwi, a subsidiary of Mohammed VI's holding company Al Mada, plans to conquer the corporate market. Nizar Bouguila, [...]

Free access Business 19.03.2020

Morocco
BOA expands in Casablanca and Nairobi

Bank of Africa, the BMCE subsidiary present in 15 African [...]

Subscribers only Business 05.07.2018

Kenya
Government interest in east Africa's largest data centre

On 19 April, the principal secretary at the Ministry of [...]

Subscribers only Politics 04.05.2018

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Abu Dhabi wants to take back control of strategic data centres

The United Arab Emirates, which has substantially developed its cloud services, particularly for sovereign applications, is gradually distancing itself from the firms that have operated its intelligence data centres, triggering a lawsuit.

Subscribers only Corporate Intel Intelligence Online 23.08.2021