Cassava Technologies’ subsidiaries—Africa Data Centres (ADC), Liquid Intelligent Technologies, and Liquid C2—aim to secure a significant stake in the African tech landscape.
These companies were recently among numerous technology brands that participated in the Africa IT Festival 2024, held in Cape Town. During the event, they unveiled their expansion strategies and highlighted the need for investment-friendly regulatory frameworks to overcome challenges related to the continent’s digital infrastructure.
Liquid SA CEO Deon Geyser spoke with ITWeb Africa about the company’s commitment to supporting Africa’s digital economy through various partnerships. He emphasized that conducive legislation is crucial for the development of digital infrastructure.
“We operate in around 50 markets across the continent, drawing valuable insights from our parent company, Cassava,” Geyser noted.
He stated to tackle digital infrastructure issues, “The foremost requirement is establishing an investment-friendly policy framework. Investors are unlikely to commit to long-term initiatives if policies do not support them.”
Geyser elaborated on the complexities of implementing such programmes, which involve extensive planning, funding, and construction timelines. Establishing a robust policy framework is essential to provide security for investors.
Moreover, Geyser discussed how the company harnesses public-private partnerships (PPPs) to extend its reach. Liquid recently renewed its collaboration with the Western Cape Provincial Government, pledging an investment of over US$111 million in the initiative over the next seven years.
“The PPP model creates avenues for the government to enhance efficiencies. Once connectivity is established in government facilities, we can explore automated services and digital solutions for citizens,” he explained.
Geyser also talked about Liquid’s strategic evolution, noting the company’s shift from the Liquid Telecoms model to focusing on Liquid Intelligent Technologies since 2021. He highlighted recent expansions into cloud services, cybersecurity, and managed networks, aligning the company’s capabilities with the latest market trends.
Vinay Hiralall, Liquid C2’s chief commercial officer, discussed the rollout of Azure Stack across Africa and the benefits of edge computing. He emphasized that Azure Stack addresses data sovereignty issues by ensuring data remains within national borders, fostering greater adoption.
Hiralall pointed out that the business aims to implement Azure Stack infrastructure throughout Africa, with East Africa, especially Uganda, witnessing significant adoption due to rising tech awareness and cybersecurity concerns.
“We’ve now deployed six Azure instances, most recently in Uganda as part of our edge cloud computing program,” Hiralall stated. “Uganda has notably surpassed my expectations in terms of its adoption rates. There’s a growing understanding of technology, and the demand for top-tier solutions is evident, especially amid increasing cyber threats.”
He further explained that the need for edge computing is leading to customized server sizes that integrate Azure public cloud and edge solutions. Azure Stack effectively mitigates data sovereignty issues by keeping data local—either in private stacks for enterprises or shared among various organizations using Server Message Blocks.
Looking ahead, Hiralall observed a growing demand in West Africa, spurred not by data sovereignty but by specific industry requirements. Many fintech firms seek high-compute private stacks to meet their internal and compliance needs.
During a fireside chat titled “The Rise of Co-location: How African Enterprises are Leveraging Shared Data Centres for Growth,” ADC interim CEO Finhai Munzara highlighted the vast potential within the continent’s data centre sector.
The discussion outlined a three-pronged strategy to tackle power and infrastructure challenges, emphasizing efficiency, renewable energy sources, and strategic partnerships with fibre and power companies.
Additionally, the conversation addressed the role of artificial intelligence in improving data centre operations while identifying various obstacles, including power access and data sovereignty concerns.
