Oracle Advances Plans for Nairobi Cloud Region as Kenya Strengthens Digital Infrastructure Position
Oracle has brought together senior government officials, diplomats and technology leaders in Nairobi for a Sovereign Cloud Region Government Summit as the company moves closer to launching its long-awaited public cloud region in Kenya.
The summit highlighted the strategic role of sovereign cloud infrastructure in supporting digital transformation, data protection and innovation across Kenya’s public and private sectors.
The event brought together Cabinet Secretary for Information, Communications and the Digital Economy William Kabogo Gitau, Kenya’s Special Envoy on Technology Philip Thigo, Principal Secretary for ICT and the Digital Economy John Tanui, Principal Secretary for Broadcasting and Telecommunications John Kipchumba Isaboke, Principal Secretary for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Susan Auma Ombam, United States Embassy Chargé d’Affaires a.i. Susan Burns, alongside Oracle and iXAfrica Data Centres executives.
Speaking during the summit, Philip Thigo emphasized that access to advanced digital infrastructure increasingly influences investment decisions, startup growth and research opportunities, reinforcing the importance of Kenya hosting a hyperscale cloud region.
Oracle first announced plans for a public cloud region in Kenya in January 2024. Earlier this year, the company selected iXAfrica Data Centres as its colocation partner, with iXAfrica’s Nairobi facility expected to host Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) services.
The Nairobi cloud region will become Oracle’s second cloud region in Africa after Johannesburg, which launched in 2022. Additional expansion plans include a planned region in Morocco.
The infrastructure will be hosted at iXAfrica’s NBOX1 campus along Mombasa Road. The facility is expected to provide more than 20 megawatts of IT capacity when fully developed and support advanced artificial intelligence workloads requiring high-density computing environments.
A key focus of the summit was sovereign cloud capabilities, which allow organizations to store and process sensitive information within national borders while meeting data residency, privacy and regulatory requirements.
For Kenya, sovereign cloud infrastructure is increasingly important as organizations in sectors such as banking, insurance, healthcare and government seek solutions that comply with local data protection requirements.
A Nairobi-based Oracle cloud region is expected to reduce latency, support regulatory compliance and provide organizations with greater confidence when migrating mission-critical workloads to the cloud.
Oracle Kenya Country Leader David Bunei highlighted the growing demand for secure, scalable cloud solutions capable of supporting enterprise and government operations.
The development comes as competition for hyperscale cloud infrastructure continues to grow across Africa. Kenya is emerging as one of the continent’s key technology markets, with global cloud providers expanding their presence to meet rising demand for digital services, artificial intelligence and enterprise computing.
Alongside Oracle’s planned Nairobi region, other technology companies are also investing in Africa’s cloud ecosystem, strengthening the continent’s digital infrastructure landscape.
The next major milestone will be Oracle’s announcement of the commercial launch date for the Nairobi cloud region, followed by customer onboarding and further expansion of local cloud capacity.
