The planned Oracle Cloud Infrastructure region in Nairobi is a proposed cloud computing facility intended to expand cloud services capacity in East Africa. The development is expected to support regional demand for data storage, processing, and digital services once operational.

East Africa-based data centre developer iXAfrica has been identified as the host partner for the project in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi. The company stated that the collaboration will involve supporting infrastructure for Oracle’s cloud operations in the region, including access to renewable energy sources, technical talent, and connectivity through existing submarine and national fibre networks.

Plans for the Oracle cloud region in Kenya were first announced in early 2024, although a launch date has not been publicly disclosed. Once completed, the facility is expected to become the second Oracle Cloud Infrastructure region on the African continent.

Other Projects

Data center infrastructure across Africa is gradually ramping up as the continent strives not to be left behind in the data center era. Other than the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure region in Nairobi, South Africa is advancing the eThekwini data center campus.

The municipal is looking to collaborate with South Korean-based Korea South Power consortium for the project. The total cost to facilitate the development of the facility is expected to cost between $3 billion and $10 billion. However, the cost is not set in stone due to its contingency to various factors such as the size of the facility.

The technology partners chosen for advanced operations is also in consideration. As part of the partnership, the municipality will provide the necessary land and infrastructure. On the other hand, the consortium will cover the costs of construction and operational aspects of the data center.

Significance of Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Region in Nairobi

The Oracle Cloud Infrastructure region in Nairobi provides a monumental opportunity for East Africa to expand its data center footprint. As noted, the infrastructure will be Oracle’s second in Africa after the one based in South Africa. Oracle opened its Johannesburg OCI region in January 2022. Furthermore, a second South African region is planned for the future. Two regions in Morocco are also listed as coming soon.

“Around the world, governments and enterprises rely on OCI for its security, scalability, and ability to run mission-critical workloads that enable innovation at scale,” said David Bunei, country leader for Kenya, Oracle. Furthermore, he noted that these unique capabilities and collaboration with iXAfrica will further support the growth of the country’s digital economy.

iXAfrica’s NBOX1 is a 17,300 sqm (186,215 sq ft) data center located on Mombasa Road in Nairobi. Located on land that was formerly part of a Schneider Electric complex. As data centers take pace around the world, Africa also seems to be making effort to be at par as Airtel recently launched a data center in Nairobi, East Africa’s largest.

Project Factsheet

• Project: Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) Region – Nairobi

• Host Partner: iXAfrica

• Location: Nairobi, Kenya

• Announcement: January 2026 (plans first announced in early 2024)

• Status: Coming soon (no launch date confirmed)

Key Details

• iXAfrica selected as host partner for Oracle’s Kenyan OCI region

• Will be Oracle’s second cloud region in Africa

• Follows the Johannesburg OCI region launched in January 2022

• Supports government and enterprise cloud workloads in East Africa

Infrastructure

• Hosted at iXAfrica’s NBOX1 data center

• Site size: 17,300 sqm (186,215 sq ft)

• Location: Mombasa Road, Nairobi

• Power capacity: Over 20MW at full build-out

• First phase: 4.5MW, second phase: 18MW

Strategic Significance

• Expands Oracle’s African cloud footprint

• Leverages Kenya’s renewable energy, skilled workforce, and submarine cable connectivity

• Supports growth of Kenya’s and East Africa’s digital economy

• Strengthens regional cloud and data center ecosystem