by TINTSWALO BALOYI
JOHANNESBURG, (CAJ News) – HUAWEI Cloud has expanded its presence in Africa, with the addition of four new availability zones.
Three are in Egypt and one in Nigeria.
This expansion brings the total number of Huawei Cloud data centers in Africa to six.
The move strategically addresses latency issues and ensures data sovereignty for customers, meeting the growing demand for secure, high-performance cloud computing services in Africa.
The expansion of its cloud infrastructure underscores Huawei Cloud’s dedication to supporting businesses in the continent with best-in-class solutions.
Steven Chen, Managing Director of Huawei Cloud South Africa, said, “Huawei Cloud will support businesses’ digital strategies with best-in-class services, enabling them to thrive in a competitive environment.”
Huawei Cloud’s expansion into Egypt is a milestone as it is the first public cloud in the region.
The Cairo Region will provide cloud capabilities and serve as a hub for North Africa.
Speaking at the Huawei Cloud Summit 2024 in Cairo, Egypt’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Amr Talaat, highlighted the growing importance of cloud computing in modern economies.
“Cloud computing technologies have become a key pillar of the digital infrastructure in all developed countries. This enables government entities to optimise resources and ensure flexibility in computing demands,” Talaat said.
Additionally, Huawei Cloud introduced its Arabic Large Language Model (LLM) at the summit. The automatic speech recognition service, designed to support over 20 Arabic-speaking countries, boasts 96 percent accuracy rate.
Huawei Cloud is to invest US$300 million over five years to enhance Egypt’s cloud services, supporting 200 software partners, 1 300 channel partners, and training 10 000 developers, aligning with Egypt Vision 2030.
Huawei Cloud’s Nigeria launch, West Africa’s first local cloud, ensures 15-millisecond latency with Tier 3+ data centres.
The launch event, themed “Leap Now with a Better Cloud,” was held in Lagos and aligned with Nigeria’s Data Protection Commission (NDPC) objectives to limit cross-border data transfers.
Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, praised the initiative.
“It would largely help businesses and everyone, as It’ll also enhance sovereignty. I encourage all to embrace these ideas as they set a transformative course for Lagos, Nigeria, and Africa at large,” Hamzat stated.
Chris Lu, CEO of Huawei Nigeria, reaffirmed the company’s commitment to Nigeria’s digital economy.
“With disruptive technology, we can transform the daily lives, industries, and economy of Nigeria,” Lu said.
– CAJ News