Infrastructure fund manager Meridiam is investing $48m (€56m) in a partnership with pan-African data centre developer Raxio Group.
Meridiam and Raxio have joined forces to deploy a network of data centres across Africa, where both Raxio and Meridiam already have a local presence.
Meridiam’s investment is made alongside Raxio’s founding equity partner, US-based investment firm Roha Group who established Raxio in 2018, and has been funding the company since its inception.
Following Raxio’s first facility in Uganda, the company now has presence in Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Robert Mullins, CEO of Raxio Group said: “This investment comes at an ideal time, as we have continued our expansion activities by investing in our third facility – in the Democratic Republic of Congo – following our first flagship facility in Uganda and launching the construction of our Ethiopian data centre.
“It is testament to our strategy of developing an Africa-wide network of local, interconnected facilities, that provide our customers with affordable, state-of-the-art solutions for their IT infrastructure, in a neutral, “always on” environment. Customers are core to the design process to ensure our facilities are efficient, sustainable and cost-effective.
”With its extensive knowledge in the development of sustainable infrastructure in the region, we are convinced Meridiam is the partner of choice for us to continue our deployment plans and reach our targets.”
Mathieu Peller, COO Africa for Meridiam said: “Investing in Raxio’s data centre platform was a natural move for us, as it fits our purpose to delivering sustainable infrastructure that improves the quality of people’s lives.
“We are excited to contribute to developing Africa’s digital infrastructure, by helping to roll-out energy-efficient data centres that will drive the digital transformation of the continent and be a catalyst for highly skilled jobs creation, whilst respecting the local environment.”
In Africa, Meridiam has already invested in infrastructure worth €4bn in total.
To read the digital edition of the latest IPE Real Assets magazine click here.
