The Wiocc Group, a leading open access digital infrastructure provider across Africa, has raised an additional $65 million in debt financing to expand its network connectivity and data centre operations. The facility, valued at approximately R1.1 billion, underscores sustained investor confidence in Africa’s fast evolving digital economy.
The sustainability linked financing involves key participation from several development institutions, including Proparco, which has contributed $15 million, alongside the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the Emerging Africa and Asia Infrastructure Fund managed by Ninety One. The funding will support Wiocc’s network expansion, strengthen its data resilience, and enhance operational sustainability through measurable environmental performance indicators such as energy efficiency.
Africa’s internet penetration rate stood at just 38 per cent in 2024 compared with a global average of 68 per cent, according to the International Telecommunication Union. Investments such as Wiocc’s are critical in narrowing this digital divide, enabling more inclusive access to technology and supporting economic participation across the continent.
Since its establishment in 2008, Wiocc has played a pivotal role in Africa’s digital transformation, operating across more than 30 countries and carrying a substantial share of the continent’s internet traffic. The company’s latest capital raise will support planned investments in 2026, including upgrades to terrestrial fibre networks spanning over 75,000 kilometres and submarine cables exceeding 200,000 kilometres.
Wiocc’s Chief Financial Officer stated that the new financing demonstrates strong development partner confidence in the company’s mission to create an open access digital ecosystem that fosters economic growth, innovation, and social inclusion. The organisation’s strategy focuses on building sustainable, carrier neutral infrastructure to enable equitable access to data services, particularly in fast growing markets such as Nigeria, where demand for reliable home fibre connectivity is accelerating.
The funding follows earlier rounds, including a $100 million debt package in 2020, and integrates internationally recognised sustainability standards such as EDGE certification for new data centres to ensure resource efficiency. As reported by Impact Investor, the financing structure combines US dollar and rand denominated components to mitigate currency exposure while enabling long term capital investment.
This development comes amid significant growth in the region’s data economy. Research from Research and Markets projects that Africa’s data centre capacity will rise from 0.78 thousand megawatts in 2025 to 1.43 thousand megawatts by 2030, representing a compound annual growth rate of 12.86 per cent. The market value is expected to approach $6.81 billion by 2030, reflecting surging demand for digital services, cloud computing, and data localisation.
Wiocc’s cumulative investments, exceeding $750 million since inception, position the company as a central actor in Africa’s next phase of connectivity expansion. Recent projects, including the landing of the 2Africa submarine cable in Durban, have bolstered continental resilience, improving redundancy and enhancing international bandwidth access.
The Wiocc Group’s approach reflects a broader trend in African digital infrastructure investment that places sustainability and local empowerment at its core. By aligning financial growth with social and environmental objectives, such initiatives contribute not only to technological advancement but also to a more inclusive and equitable digital transformation.
As Africa continues to urbanise and digitise, partnerships between public and private actors remain essential to ensuring that connectivity growth translates into tangible socioeconomic benefits. Wiocc’s latest funding marks another significant step toward that vision, signalling confidence in Africa’s capacity to shape its own digital future grounded in sustainability, resilience, and shared prosperity.
