AfDB Leadership Inspects Brazzaville Facility
The Harmattan sun in late October barely pierced the gray exterior of the three-story building rising opposite Camp La Milice in southern Brazzaville. Emerging from her convoy, the African Development Bank’s Vice President, Marie-Laure Akin-Olugbade, walked across the dusty courtyard, an orange safety vest over her professional attire, to assess the construction progress.
Surrounded by the Minister of Telecommunications and the Minister of Economy, she listened as engineers detailed concrete stress tests, fire valves, and biometric access points. “These are the lifelines of tomorrow,” she told journalists, praising Congo’s decision to anchor sensitive data on national soil while opening its doors to sub-regional partners.
A Project Anchored in Digital Sovereignty
Plans for a national data center were first drafted in 2016, after several service outages revealed Congo’s reliance on foreign servers. Officials argued that banking information, medical records, and tax filings deserved the same constitutional protection as physical borders.
President Denis Sassou N’Guesso subsequently placed digital sovereignty among the pillars of the 2022-2026 National Development Plan. The Brazzaville facility, complemented by fiber-optic loops completed last year, is designed to host government clouds, corporate platforms, and disaster recovery backups within a high-security perimeter.
Funding and the AfDB’s Share
The $67 million cost is jointly funded by the Congolese treasury and an AfDB envelope approved in 2020 under the Central African Fiber Backbone program, bank officials confirmed. Akin-Olugbade noted that the Bank’s board had approved the loan and grant “to catalyze a regional digital market in CEMAC.”
Approximately ninety percent of civil works are complete, according to contractors. The final payment tranche—estimated at $8 million—will unlock the installation of server racks, precision cooling, and batteries. Satisfied with audit reports, AfDB leaders signaled readiness to disburse funds once the firm finalizes counterpart allocations.
Construction Pause and Contractor Challenges
Foreman Zhang Wei acknowledged a temporary slowdown since August as the Chinese consortium awaits final payment certificates. Nevertheless, reinforced floors for Tier III server rooms are finished, raised floors are stacked in crates, and rooftop chillers have been tested under partial load.
Local subcontractors continue landscaping, fiber splicing, and paving access roads. “Everything we can do without additional import invoices is moving forward,” Zhang said. He predicted three additional months of work upon funding resumption, allowing commissioning in the first half of 2024 if no further delays occur.
Regional Benefits for CEMAC Markets
Beyond hosting Congo’s administrative databases, the center is expected to attract banks, fintech startups, and oil