The expansion will help meet the demand for digital infrastructure as data consumption rapidly outstrips supply in Africa.

PAIX Data Centres, a leading provider of data center solutions, today announced the expansion of its facility in Accra to 1.2 MW, in a critical boost to the digital economy that will also spur job creation.

The data centre, now one of the largest in Ghana, will help internet service providers (ISPs), cloud providers, and enterprises take full advantage of robust digital infrastructure and improved connectivity, to create online businesses such as e-commerce that will thrive in the digital era.

The expansion comes at a pivotal time as the demand for reliable and scalable data centers in Africa is expected to exceed supply by 300% over the next two years. The current installed capacity of 250 MW will need to be significantly increased to 1,200 MW by 2030 to meet the rapidly increasing demand for data, with consumption expected to rise by 40% each year until 2025, according to industry estimates.

The upgraded facility boasts state-of-the-art infrastructure and robust security measures, ensuring optimal performance and reliability for mission-critical applications and services. The data center also features advanced cooling and waste management systems, and the increased integration of renewable energy as a power source, to improve environmental impact.

The strategic location in Accra offers low latency connectivity to all major regional and international network routes and subsea cables, further enhancing the overall efficiency and performance of its services.

PAIX Data Centres acquired its first facility in Accra in 2018 and constructed its second data center in Kenya in 2020. Further locations are under development. The company’s mission is to drive digital transformation and foster innovation across Africa, providing world-class data centre solutions that enable businesses to thrive in a digital age.

Africa50, a pioneering infrastructure investor and asset manager, backed by African and global capital, committed $20 million in equity investment to PAIX Data Centres in 2022 to support the company’s expansion into new markets and the upgrade of current facilities.

QUOTES

Bright Tawiah, Managing Director, PAIX Data Centres, Ghana, said: “This expansion reaffirms our dedication to providing best-in-class data center solutions to our customers in Accra and beyond. As one of Africa’s digital economy hotspots, Accra plays a vital role in driving innovation and growth across various industries. We are proud to be at the forefront of this transformation, enabling businesses to thrive in today’s increasingly connected world”.

Alexander Sulzberger, Co-Founder&CTO, Ecoband Networks says: “Ecoband Networks has been one of PAIX’s longest-standing customers, utilizing the RackAfrica datacenter in Accra since its inception in 2013. We have been extremely pleased with the continuous expansion and upgrade plans spearheaded by the PAIX management, ensuring the delivery of world-class data center services with zero downtime. This reliability provides Ecoband and our international carrier partners hosted in Accra with a solid foundation for our ISP operations.”
 
Gregory Eid, CEO of Teledata ICT says: “At Teledata ICT, we are thrilled to see PAIX Data Centres expanding their capacity in Accra. This significant enhancement not only supports our mission to deliver reliable and high-speed internet services but also reinforces our commitment to fostering digital growth in Ghana. The increased capacity and advanced infrastructure provided by PAIX will enable us to better serve our customers, drive innovation, and contribute to the overall digital transformation of the region.”
 
Gershon Dzandu, General Manager, at FTSToday says: “PAIX is at the heart of the colocation industry in Ghana, strategically located in the centre of Accra with expanded state of the art facilities that guarantee safety, security and unparalleled uptime. They are a dream come true for start-ups like FTSToday as they host major international providers in their Accra Facility. They have been an integral part of our growth and continued success and we are very confident that PAIX will continue being the backbone of our drive to provide future-proof ICT and telecommunication solutions geared towards positive Business Growth and value creation for our esteemed customers.”

Wouter van Hulten PAIX Data Centres CEO says: “PAIX’s investment in our ACC-1 data centre positions it as the leading network hub that is created by the aggregation of multiple undersea cable landing points connecting to terrestrial cables, and this makes Accra a highly attractive gateway to West Africa. We are working closely with our connectivity, CDN, social media, and cloud customers seeking to serve this emerging market. We are developing thriving magnetic cloud and content hubs in Accra.”
 

For more information about PAIX Data Centres and its services, visit www.PAIX.io.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of PAIX Data Centres.

MEDIA CONTACT:
For media inquiries, please contact:
info@paix.io
Bright Asiamah Tawiah
PAIX Data Centres
Country Managing Director Ghana
Email: bright.tawiah@paix.co
Phone: +233 277550078

BOILER PLATE
About PAIX Data Centres:
PAIX Data Centres is a leading provider of data centre solutions, offering state-of-the-art facilities and services to meet the evolving needs of businesses across Africa. With a focus on reliability, carrier neutrality, scalability, and security, PAIX Data Centres enables organizations to harness the power of technology and drive digital transformation. From ISPs and cloud providers to financial institutions and enterprises, PAIX Data Centres delivers innovative solutions that fuel growth and success in today’s digital economy to businesses of all sizes.

At this month’s SoCreative Summit 2024, the British Council (www.BritishCouncil.org) launched its hotly anticipated new eLearning platform, SoCreative; a series of free online courses designed to help aspiring African entrepreneurs grow sustainable creative businesses, supporting them in their journeys.

The fifth edition of the annual, highly-popular SoCreative Summit, hosted by British Council and Business and Arts South Africa (BASA) in partnership with PACE, took place at the vibrant Victoria Yards venue in Johannesburg. Dubbed a ‘gift’ to the creative industries given that there is no charge, the Summit was attended by cultural makers, artists, fashion designers and anyone deserving of the title ‘creative’ – both in-person and virtually, serving as a platform to nurture innovation and promote the growth and vitality of Africa’s creative economy.

The launch of the SoCreative eLearning platform coincides with the culmination of the SoCreative Summit annual series. Explains Farai Bayai Ncube, Regional Arts Director Sub-Saharan Africa: British Council: “This final summit’s theme, ‘Emergence’, embodies the complete dedication, creativity, and vision of our delegates and partners who have contributed to its success over the past five years.

“By this same token, the emergence of our SoCreative eLearning programme will serve in its legacy, and like the summit itself, is free to those who wish to gain knowledge.”

Ncube says that the SoCreative eLearning programme was developed by academic practitioners within Africa and the United Kingdom’s creative economies, and aims to fill the creative knowledge business gaps that exist in the ecosystem. “The challenges facing creative entrepreneurs have been revealed in previous summits and multiple conversations with our programme stakeholders, and so we have developed the platform in an attempt to address these shortfalls through fostering an ecosystem in which young entrepreneurs can thrive.”

The SoCreative eLearning platform is aimed at early-stage entrepreneurs who want to turn their creative pursuits into sustainable, fulfilling business endeavours. The free, self-paced courses are designed to guide users through the entire process; from learning about Africa’s creative industry to finding the right market for their ideas, distinguishing their businesses, finding investors, business management skills and more. The courses include: Launching your Creative Enterprise, Growing your Creative Enterprise, Social Impact through Entrepreneurship and Creative Economy Policy.

Upon completing the programme, participants receive a certificate of achievement, which makes them eligible to apply for ongoing support through mentoring, coaching, incubation and acceleration creative economy programmes via the British Council’s network within participating countries.

Says Skinder Hundal, Global Arts Director: British Council: “While this may be the final summit in this format, we will continue to create platforms that enable young people to lead innovation, to become visionaries and to shape their futures. The impact of this investment and collaboration will inspire future global leaders, making a positive impact in Africa and the world in the years to come.”

Register for the SoCreative courses here: https://apo-opa.co/3wITzuA

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of British Council.

Issued by:
MSL

Media queries:
Roxanne Manning
roxanne@rvmcommunications.co.za
+27 76 826 8333

About the British Council:
The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. We build connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and other countries through arts and culture, education and the English language. In 2019-2020 we reached over 75 million people directly and 758 million people overall including online, broadcasts and publications. Founded in 1934 we are a UK charity governed by Royal Charter and a UK public body. We receive a 14.5 per cent core funding grant from the UK government. www.BritishCouncil.org

The UAE has condemned the coup attempt in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and stressed the importance of maintaining stability and security in the country. 

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirmed that the UAE shares deep-rooted ties with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and has emphasized its support for the sovereignty and unity of the country within the framework of constitutional institutions and the rule of law, to achieve the hopes and aspirations of its people.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Arab Emirates Ministry of Education (MoE).

Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs) cause severe and irreversible harm to the environment and human health. They result in millions of involuntary poisoning cases each year, especially in low- and middle-income countries, with women and children working in agricultural environments the worst affected.

To help phase out these highly toxic pesticides, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) joined hands with the Swedish Chemicals Agency (KEMI) to support Zimbabwe and Zambia to reduce risks of Highly Hazardous Pesticides through a peer learning&exchange workshop between pesticide regulators from Zambia and Zimbabwe, that was held in Harare from 8 to 9 May 2024.

The workshop was attended by 14 pesticide regulators, from the Zambia Environmental Management Agency accompanied by a senior technical advisor from the Swedish Chemicals Agency, Zimbabwean counterparts from the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development (MLAFWRD), Ministry of Health and Childcare (MoHCC) and technical officers from FAO.

As part of the workshop the delegates compared lists of identified HHPs, shared experiences of pesticide risk and needs assessment for HHPs and jointly identified viable alternatives. The engagement culminated in the development of draft risk mitigation plans, and information exchange on the status of HHP identification and needs assessment in Zambia and Zimbabwe. The pesticide regulators also compared the status and gaps in their respective pesticide regulatory frameworks. Both parties deemed the workshop timely for the development and update of draft regulatory frameworks on pesticides, especially in their national efforts to reduce HHP risks.

Why do HHPs need special attention?

“With HHPs, every precaution is imperative for they hold the power to impact human health and the ecosystem profoundly. Meticulous care is not just a preference but a global necessity,” Nkole Chanda, Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA) Inspector

Highly hazardous pesticides are a development and human right issue that calls for global action. The impacts of their use are felt much beyond the field and can affect human health, biodiversity and natural resources, international trade. It is estimated that 385 million cases of unintentional pesticide poisoning occur annually world-wide including around 11,000 fatalities, translating 44 percent of farmers around the world being poisoned annually.

To limit the impacts of HHPs on human health and the environment, FAO and WHO developed the ‘International Guidelines on Highly Hazardous Pesticides to provide Governments and other stakeholders with stepwise guidance on HHP risk reduction.’

According to Ivy Saunyama, FAO Agricultural Officer, the HHP Guidelines recommend a clear step wise approach for HHP risk reduction comprising 3 steps namely identification, assessment (needs and risk assessment) and mitigation and list the eight (8) criteria that should be used to identify HHPs. Zambia and Zimbabwe have both followed these criteria in HHP identification, making it easier to compare notes, and come up with common solutions as far as possible.

The regulators from both countries highlighted that it was possible to increase agricultural productivity with limited use of HHPs by promotion alternatives, with emphasis on the use of less hazardous alternatives, Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices that preserve ecosystem, product management measures to enhance proper use and risk reduction, like training farmers in proper use, ensuring availability and use of PPE, precautionary label statements.

“By reducing the reliance on highly hazardous pesticides and promoting lower risk alternatives, it is possible to protect human health, safeguard the environment and ensure food security everywhere, every day,” added Memory Mahofa, Agricultural Economist in the department of Strategic Planning and Business Development under Zimbabwe’s, MLAFWRD.

We can feed the world without highly hazardous pesticides

The workshop ended with stakeholders calling for an end of use to HHPs and asserting that it was possible to feed the world without the use of highly hazardous pesticides, especially considering that HHPs constitute only a small percentage of registered pesticides in any country (6-13 percent) and safer alternatives exist.

“Feeding the two nations without the use of highly hazardous pesticides is possible if we work together. It is good that the governments of Zimbabwe and Zambia have already started working together to phase out HHPs,” added Daisy Ndlovu, environmental health officer at National Institute of Health Research (NIHR), Zimbabwe.

As part of working together, the two countries agreed on the formulation of a harmonized HHP Mitigation Strategy that would help strengthen the regulation of HHPs, while calling upon government authorities and the pesticide industry to have the political will to stop the use of HPPs.

“We are strengthening the regulation of HHPs through discussions on formulating a harmonized HHP Mitigation Strategy, which will help phase out HHPs not only in the two countries but across the Southern Africa region,” said Shengai Mwale, the Principal Research Officer under the Agricultural Research, Innovation and Specialist Services Directorate, MoLAFWRD.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of FAO Regional Office for Africa.