Breaking ground to bring Ethiopia its first private data centre
April 2021
News
In a bold move, RedFox Solutions Group is breaking ground to build Ethiopia’s first private data centre to bring state-of-the-art infrastructure, availability, efficiency and sustainability, to this sought-after ICT hub.
Known as RFDC1, the data centre will be erected at an ICT park in the country’s capital, Addis Ababa. RedFox Solution Group’s chief technology advisor, Dagmawe Theodros, says that this investment affirms the company’s commitment to Ethiopia as it strives to bring digital transformation to the region.
The inauguration ceremony took place during March at the Sheraton hotel in Addis Ababa and saw addresses by prominent dignitaries such as the Minister of Finance, Dr. Eyob Takalign Tolina, the chief executive of RedFox Solutions Group, Adane Kassaye and Rittal South Africa managing director, Adrian Buddingh.
Left to right: Rittal South Africa MD Adrian Buddingh with sales manager Jason Osner.
Why Ethiopia?
Ethiopia’s rapid growth has put it on the map and investors are taking notice. “We believe that Ethiopia is ripe for investment and is fast becoming a hotbed of presence in the data centre industry,” says Theodros. “The country is on the verge of deploying renewable hydropower and operators are eyeing government policies that require data centres to be housed in the country from which the data is accessed, which could have a huge influence.”
Empowering the country through comprehensive data centre solutions, RedFox was founded by Ethiopian professionals who have led numerous cutting-edge technology deployments in different business verticals.
In partnership with Rittal
RFDC1 is brought to the country in proud association with Rittal, a leading global systems provider which has been awarded the contract to supply cutting-edge data centre technologies. “Our company was founded in Germany in 1961 and today is comprised of 58 subsidiaries,” says Buddingh. “Our African head office is based in South Africa and will provide both on-site and off-site support for this project.”
Speaking to its footprint in Africa, Buddingh says that Rittal has had its sights firmly set on Ethiopia as part of its long-term growth strategy. The company will oversee the installation and commissioning of a modular solution for this project. “We are pleased to partner with RedFox Solutions Group on this project,” concludes Buddingh. “The company’s vision aligns with our own and the roll-out thus far has been exciting.”
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