In a landmark move to advance Africa’s digital transformation agenda, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Sybyl, and IXAfrica Data Centre Limited (iXAfrica) have announced a strategic partnership to establish and scale sovereign cloud infrastructure in Kenya and other East African countries. Through a Memorandum of Understanding with both Sybyl and iXAfrica, TCS aims to empower governments, enterprises, and innovators with secure, locally hosted cloud offerings that comply with national data residency and sovereignty requirements, marking a major milestone in Africa’s journey towards digital independence.
TCS, Sybyl and iXAfrica will combine their strengths to build a robust foundation for digital transformation in East Africa. TCS will bring its sovereign cloud and global cloud expertise, Sybyl will bring its regional engineering and customer support expertise, and iXAfrica will provide secure, scalable AI ready data centre infrastructure. With complementary strength, the trio will ensure enterprises benefit from world-class technology, local implementation, and resilient data hosting. As Africa doubles down on its digital transformation agenda, data sovereignty has become a defining issue across the continent. Several national governments and enterprises are increasingly seeking solutions that ensure data is housed within a country’s borders, regulated as per regional laws, and managed through secure and robust infrastructure. This partnership directly addresses that urgent need by offering a trusted, built-in-Africa cloud environment.
TCS will deploy TCS Sovereign Secure Cloud™, a bespoke offering for government, public enterprises, and regulated industries, that offers a sovereign cloud with integrated AI to drive data, operational, and digital sovereignty. It will provide the sovereign cloud architecture, deployment frameworks, and security expertise, drawing from its global leadership in IT services, consulting, and digital transformation.
Satishchandra Doreswamy, Vice President & Head, Cloud Unit – Growth Markets, TCS, “We offer a resilient and future-ready cloud infrastructure, powered by AI-driven intelligence, that can be tailored to specific needs of our customers. With built-in compliance to global and local regulatory authorities, our sovereign cloud fuels future-forward business models while meeting the most stringent standards for privacy and regulatory requirements. It is the ideal solution for countries and enterprises that are looking to safeguard their digital sovereignty through robust cloud technology.”
Sybyl, one of East Africa’s leading systems integrators, will lead local implementation, support, and customer enablement, leveraging its deep regional expertise in enterprise technology solutions and managed services. Shailendra Yadav, CEO, Sybyl Kenya & Tanzania, said, “Digital independence must deliver real gains. By running sovereign cloud in iXAfrica’s AI-ready campus along with TCS’ cloud expertise, we cut currency exposure, foreign policy risks, keep services reachable on local routes during outages, and create skilled jobs for Kenyans and Africans as a whole”
Home to East Africa’s leading carrier-neutral and AI-ready data centre campus (NBOX1), iXAfrica will provide the secure, scalable, and energy-efficient infrastructure hosting the Sovereign Cloud. Snehar Shah, CEO, iXAfrica, said, “Data sovereignty is the cornerstone of Africa’s digital future. By hosting Sovereign Cloud infrastructure within iXAfrica’s AI-ready campus, we are ensuring that African data stays in Africa, secure, sustainable, and ready to power the next generation of innovation.”
A sovereign cloud infrastructure leverages economies of scale of cloud computing while strictly protecting data, complying with privacy needs, ensuring operational sovereignty, and enabling easy access to the full range of cloud services with powerful computing. It has applications across sectors such as banking, telecom, public sector, and enterprise sectors. By leveraging locally hosted and globally secure cloud environments, both public and private enterprises are empowered to operate within a framework that fully supports compliance with national data protection laws. This ensures that sensitive data remains within the country’s borders while adhering to rigorous regional and international security standards.
TCS’ sovereign cloud offering is designed to future-proof companies by providing access to advanced AI and analytics capabilities. Enterprises will also gain the advantage of end-to-end managed services and local technical expertise. This comprehensive support enables organisations to seamlessly adopt, operate, and scale their cloud solutions, fostering confidence and resilience in the rapidly evolving digital landscape.
This initiative is aimed at creating jobs that will employ local talent, strengthen local digital infrastructure, and position East Africa as a strategic technology hub for Africa as a whole. TCS has operated in Africa for almost two decades and has over 50 clients in the region. It serves most of the region’s large enterprises including top telecommunication companies, leading banking and insurance firms, as well as utilities and public enterprises. Additionally, TCS has been awarded the Top Employer Award for nine consecutive years in the region.
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