• Digital Realty launched its new Accra data center (ACR2) with 1.7 MW installed IT capacity and 500 server racks.

• The company has invested over $500 million in Africa since 2021, following major acquisitions in Nigeria and South Africa.

• Africa represents less than 2% of global colocation capacity but is projected to double its data center market to $3.85 billion by 2030.

Digital Realty, the global data center operator, inaugurated its new ACR2 data center in Accra, Ghana, at the end of October, reinforcing its expansion across Africa. The facility aims to provide local and international firms with reliable, secure, and locally hosted infrastructure as demand for digital services grows across the continent.

The ACR2 facility sits within a dense network of fiber routes and subsea cables, including 2Africa. It offers carrier-neutral colocation services with an installed IT capacity of 1.7 megawatts and space for 500 server racks over 1,100 square meters. The site connects to Digital Realty’s global platform of more than 300 data centers.

“ACR2 offers the reliability, compliance, and connectivity that banks, fintechs, telecom operators, and cloud service providers need,” said Joseph Koranteng, managing director of Digital Realty Ghana. “It’s not just about data sovereignty—it’s about giving Ghanaian businesses the same infrastructure quality as in London, Amsterdam, or Johannesburg, without leaving Accra.”

The launch follows the company’s August opening of a fourth data center in Lagos, Nigeria. Digital Realty entered the Nigerian market in 2021 through the $29 million acquisition of Medallion Data Centres, as part of a $500 million, ten-year investment plan for Africa. In 2022, the firm completed its $3.5 billion acquisition of Teraco, expanding into South Africa and joining its existing African markets in Kenya, Mozambique, and Nigeria. The company now operates about 15 facilities across the continent.

Africa remains one of the least served regions for data infrastructure. As of mid-2023, the continent accounted for less than 2% of global colocation capacity, with more than half concentrated in South Africa. According to Oxford Business Group’s Data Centres in Africa Focus Report (April 2024), Africa requires about 1,000 MW of additional capacity and 700 new sites to meet demand.

Market analysts expect rapid growth. Mordor Intelligence projects that Africa’s data center market will rise from $1.94 billion in 2025 to $3.85 billion by 2030, at a compound annual growth rate of 14.7%.

Digital Realty reported $4.49 billion in revenue and $1.22 billion in net profit for the first nine months of 2025.

This article was initially published in French by Isaac K. Kassouwi 

Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum