Huawei Cloud has expanded its presence in Africa with the addition of four new availability zones, three 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.
Africa Analysis forecasts the African cloud computing market to grow from R35 billion in 2023 to over R113 billion by 2028. Huawei Cloud is meeting this demand for secure, high-performance services.MD Director of Huawei Cloud South Africa says: “Huawei Cloud will support businesses’ digital strategies with best-in-class services, enabling them to thrive in a competitive environment.”
As the third-largest cloud provider in South Africa, Huawei Cloud drives the country’s digital evolution. Its customer-focused model has fueled 125% adoption growth in the past year.
Huawei Cloud’s Africa-wide expansion aligns with its broader strategy of delivering industry-specific solutions across finance, retail, telecommunications, and healthcare. By leveraging advanced AI, big data analytics, and machine learning capabilities, Huawei Cloud empowers businesses to drive efficiency and innovation.
Impact of availability zones in Egypt
Huawei Cloud’s expansion into Egypt is a significant milestone as it’s 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, Dr 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,” he said.
Huawei’s contributions to Egypt’s digital economy was also acknowledged, this includes industry support, cultivating young digital talent, and fulfilling corporate social responsibilities.
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 an impressive 96% accuracy rate.
Huawei Cloud will invest $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.
Impact of availability zones in Nigeria
Huawei Cloud’s Nigeria launch, West Africa’s first local cloud, ensures 15-millisecond latency with Tier 3+ data centers. Local data storage makes it easier for Nigerian enterprises comply with local data sovereignty laws – a crucial requirement for industries such as fintech and government.
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, Dr Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, praised the initiative, stating, “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.”
Chris Lu, CEO of Huawei Nigeria, reaffirmed the company’s commitment to Nigeria’s digital economy, emphasising that the new cloud region allows businesses to innovate in a secure and efficient environment. “With disruptive technology, we can transform the daily lives, industries, and economy of Nigeria,” Lu said.
Huawei Cloud’s impact is already evident. OPay, Nigeria’s leading fintech company, has reduced transaction latency from 130 milliseconds to just 15 milliseconds, vastly improving user experience during peak times. A top e-commerce platform has also leveraged Huawei Cloud’s solutions to enhance operational efficiency significantly.
Roc Bai, vice-president of Huawei Cloud Sub-Saharan Africa, highlighted the company’s three-action plan for Nigeria: supporting 1 000 businesses in cloud adoption, partnering with 100 local firms, and enabling 5,000 developers with Huawei’s open resources. Additionally, Huawei has invested heavily in talent development, training over 70 000 trainees who could become ICT professionals in Nigeria through its ICT Academy initiative.
Creating thriving digital industries
Leading local and regional enterprises choose Huawei Cloud as their digital transformation partner. From telecommunications to transportation and e-commerce, Huawei Cloud’s range of flexible and reliable services exceeds industry needs.
Numerous cloud partners at the summit attested to the impact these solutions have had on their businesses. The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa is one such partner who is working with Huawei to build a a smart railway system. Huawei Cloud has helped the company transition from virtualisation to a hybrid cloud platform, which reduces thefts and increases operational efficiency by 80%.
Speaking at Huawei’s South Africa Cloud Summit in 2024, Sunil Nagar, head of operations at Standard Bank Insurance and Asset Management, said: “There is a close partnership between Standard Bank Group and Huawei, where we see huge value.”
He added that data was the bridge between their technology and their business teams and that a unified cloud platform was essential to their operations.
Huawei Cloud’s commitment to providing localised consulting and technical expertise ensures customers receive hands-on support throughout their digital transformation journey. This customer-centric approach has established Huawei Cloud as the go-to partner for enterprises navigating complex digital projects.
“With the rapid digitalisation of industries and the surge in AI-driven innovation, businesses need cloud solutions that are not only scalable but also secure and cost-effective,” adds Chen. “Huawei Cloud remains committed to helping African businesses unlock their full potential through our robust infrastructure and cutting-edge technologies.”