Gabon has unveiled its inaugural sovereign data centre, marking a significant step in its initiative to localise digital services and enhance national oversight over vital data infrastructure.
As reported on the Gabonese government’s official portal, this Tier III facility has been established through a strategic collaboration between the government and ST DIGITAL.
This development comes amid a growing trend across African nations to establish local data infrastructure, which supports cloud adoption and fortifies compliance with data protection laws and cybersecurity requirements. By managing more public- and private-sector workloads internally, these countries aim to reduce their reliance on foreign data infrastructure, thereby improving control over sensitive information.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, Minister of Digital Economy, Digitalisation and Innovation Marc Alexandre Doumba, and Laïcka Mba, Managing Director of ST DIGITAL Gabon.
Designed with a modular, scalable architecture, the facility is set to meet the growing needs of government bodies, businesses, and financial institutions in the region. Gabon’s broader digital transformation initiative is centred on enhancing connectivity, refining public-sector digital services, and building technological capabilities.
This data centre represents a crucial component of Gabon’s efforts to fortify its digital ecosystem and embrace emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing. The infrastructure will enable the nation to reduce its dependence on data centres outside Africa while supporting data localisation, regulatory compliance, cybersecurity, and digital sovereignty.
Additionally, it will furnish banks, public administration, telecommunications providers, fintech companies, and tech startups with infrastructure that meets global standards. Although specifics of the partnership’s structure and ST DIGITAL’s operational role were not disclosed, the company’s presence in Gabon’s technology sector is well established.
The facility is designed to operate with 1MW of installed electrical power, and a phased rollout is anticipated. It boasts a total capacity of 92 racks, each accommodating up to 42 physical servers, allowing for nearly 3,000 servers at full capacity—equivalent to 20,000 to 35,000 virtual servers.
The first phase includes a 65-square-metre colocation area intended to guarantee the availability of digital services. To maintain service continuity, the site employs a dual-power supply system comprising a main 15kV line and redundant 150kVA and 100kVA units configured in an N+1 setup. A photovoltaic power plant will supply approximately 22% of the facility’s energy requirements.
The data centre connects to the African Coast to Europe and South Africa Far East/West Africa submarine cable systems, enhancing regional connectivity. It is also linked to national providers via secure peering arrangements and dedicated high-availability connections. This setup allows Gabon to offer some of the lowest latency times within the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa.
According to government officials, “The initial phase will accommodate government, business, and personal data on national soil. The complex features a cloud room, a colocation room, and a private section for specialised applications, notably in artificial intelligence. It will deliver sovereign cloud services, secure hosting, local and off-site backup, advanced cybersecurity, information systems monitoring, business continuity, and managed services.”
A second phase will prioritise the development of additional digital services. Aligned with the National Growth and Development Plan 2026-2030 and the goals of the African Continental Free Trade Area, Gabon aims to bolster control over its digital value chain and enhance its role in Central Africa’s digital economy.
