By TWV Business Desk
Airtel Africa, through its data centre arm, Nxtra by Airtel Africa, has broken ground on the construction of East Africa’s largest data centre at Tatu City, designed to meet the latest infrastructure requirements for cloud and AI services.
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The Nxtra facility will have a planned power capacity of 44MW. It will house a new generation of servers as well as high-density GPU-ready racks with 99.999 per cent uptime, feature multiple redundant fibre paths, and incorporate advanced security systems, delivering unmatched reliability and scalability for hyperscalers, enterprises, and governments.
Information, Communications, and Technology Cabinet Secretary William Kabogo, who presided over the groundbreaking ceremony, lauded the launch of the data centre, noting that the facility aligns perfectly with the government’s digital agenda, which seeks to expand broadband connectivity, spur innovation, and enable the digital economy to flourish.
“The scale and quality of this facility will firmly place Kenya on the map as a trusted host for global and regional digital infrastructure. Above all, it reflects confidence in Kenya’s economy, policies, and our vision for a digitally enabled society,” Kabogo said.
The groundbreaking marks a major milestone in Airtel Africa’s strategy to strengthen the continent’s digital backbone, democratise cloud services, and support the exponential growth of data services across Africa. Also speaking during the event, Nxtra Africa CEO Yashnath Issur described the investment as part of Airtel Group’s long-term commitment to Africa’s digital future.
“By building specialised data centre capacity that meets long-term digital growth requirements in key markets, we are positioning Nxtra Africa as the go-to partner for cloud and AI workload hosting. Our aim is to power businesses, support governments, and unlock new opportunities for communities across the region,” he said.
“Nxtra by Airtel is being built to the highest global standards, ensuring reliability, scalability, and energy efficiency. Beyond capacity, our focus is on sustainability and resilience, enabling customers to fully leverage next-generation technologies in a secure environment,” he added.
The data centre will be developed in two phases of 22MW each, reaching a total site capacity of 44MW upon completion, and is expected to be ready for service in the first quarter of 2027. Construction is set to create hundreds of direct and indirect jobs, with additional permanent technical and operational roles once the facility becomes operational. In addition, Nxtra will work with local suppliers and contractors, injecting millions into the Kenyan economy, supporting the growth of the country’s technology ecosystem, and enabling Kenyan businesses to compete on a global scale.
Airtel Kenya Managing Director Ashish Malhotra hailed the project as a major milestone for Kenya’s digital economy. “This facility goes beyond infrastructure. It reinforces Kenya’s leadership in Africa’s digital revolution by improving data sovereignty, security, and efficiency. Once operational, it will attract global tech players, create jobs, lower the cost of digital services, and make it easier for Kenyan companies to grow, while strengthening Kenya’s place as a regional hub for technology and innovation. We believe it will also create a new portfolio of services that will maximise the benefits of AI and cloud.”
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