The construction of a data center in Zanzibar should notably make it possible to strengthen the digital infrastructure of the archipelago and accelerate the government’s digital ambitions at both regional and national level.
The revolutionary government of Zanzibar on Thursday October 13 signed a memorandum of understanding with the IT services provider Oman Data Park (ODP) for the construction of a data center on the archipelago. Once built, this infrastructure is expected to house data and information for the public and private sectors in Zanzibar.
This memorandum of understanding was signed on the sidelines of an official visit by Hussein Ali Mwinyi, President of Zanzibar, to the Sultanate of Oman. It follows an initial agreement signed between the two parties last April for the deployment of a cloud-based online tendering system. Both projects are part of the government’s plans to automate its attrition systems and accelerate the migration to e-government.
The specialist site Data Center Dynamics (DCD) indicates that Zanzibar has relatively little digital infrastructure although a number of companies, including Tigo, Zantel, Raxio and Wingu, operate or develop data centers in Tanzania. The Zanzibar ICT Infrastructure Agency (ZICTIA) is said to be the only entity currently operating a data center on the island, we learn.
This investment should therefore help strengthen the digital infrastructure of Zanzibar in particular and Tanzania in general. It should also accelerate the achievement of the digital ambitions of the Tanzanian government, including connecting 80% of the population to the Internet by 2025.
“ The construction, management and operation of a data center to house information inside Zanzibar represents a qualitative leap for the government of Zanzibar, and offers guarantees of increased security for the confidentiality of data, reduced costs for the public and private sectors in Zanzibar, and increases the quality of their cloud services ,” said Maqbool bin Salem Al Wahaibi, Chief Executive Officer of Oman Data Park.