"Over the past year, the global digital economy has continued to accelerate, with cloud services, artificial intelligence, financial inclusion and digital public service delivery all becoming more dependent on resilient, high-quality digital infrastructure and significant increases in energy demands. As this reliance grows, so does our responsibility to deliver infrastructure that supports economic advancement while minimising environmental impact."
Strategic investments in subsea assets, terrestrial networks, metro infrastructure, hyperscale data centres and digital platforms
WIOCC was founded and is owned by 10 major African telecom operators, with funding and support from international development financial institutions including IFC, Proparco, Emerging Africa and Asia Infrastructure Fund (EAAIF) and Ninety-One.
Our board comprises seasoned telecoms leaders whose extensive industry experience guides strategic decision-making and drives innovation across the organisation.
Led by an experienced management team, including founding executive members, the organisation combines deep institutional knowledge with proven leadership to drive sustained growth and operational excellence.
The values of WIOCC Group are embodied in the WIOCC Group family, of which we are all part. We welcome, respect and support our colleagues around the world.
WIOCC has secured $82 million in financing through debt and equity, becoming the largest investor in EASSy and has activated its first service as a non-shareholder.
The integration of shareholder networks enabled the provision of end-to-end services from Africa to Europe. IP connectivity and metro services were also introduced to enhance service offerings. The company registered its first subsidiary in South Africa, marking an important milestone in its expansion. Additionally, a comprehensive data centre strategy was presented to the Board.
Our metro networks spanned Johannesburg (40 PoPs) and Lagos (10 PoPs), supported by terrestrial fibre that extended to 100 cities across 29 countries, alongside established national networks in South Africa, Nigeria and Zambia. A capital raise was approved to facilitate further network expansion and entry into the data centre market, complemented by a $120 million debt facility signed with Proparco, Ninety One and IFC, contingent on securing new equity.
ACA and IFC became shareholders, supporting a successful $200 million raise in combined debt and equity financing. This milestone enabled the rollout of OADC’s strategy through interconnected Tier III data centres across Africa. WIOCC further strengthened connectivity by landing Google’s Equiano cable in Lagos, while key facilities in Lagos (Lekki), Durban (Amanzimtoti) and Johannesburg (Isando) went live. These developments marked the launch of Africa’s first large-scale, open-access edge data centre platform.
WIOCC became the first to light its fibre pair on Equiano and landed 2Africa East in Amanzimtoti, Durban, while expanding its footprint through the OADC–TEXAF joint venture in Kinshasa and the launch of OATS, awarded the 2Africa NOC. This progress continued with the go-live of OADC Cape Town 1, activation of the 2Africa fibre pair with its first clients, the launch of Open Access Metro in Nigeria, and the commissioning of OADC Texaf–Kinshasa, supported by major funding and the acquisition of seven NTT data centres in South Africa.
