Pan Africa Internet Exchange (PAIX), a leading provider of cloud and carrier-neutral data centre services in Africa, has engaged stakeholders within the financial sector to foster collaboration In areas such as data storage, security and digitalisation.
In attendance at the event, dubbed ‘unlocking the digital financial economy, PAIX at its heartbeat’, were the representatives of over 24 financial institutions in the country- mainly banks, savings and loans companies, the Bank of Ghana and National Communication Authority.
In today’s increasingly digital economy, where financial institutions are gearing toward digitalisation, the quest to secure data is paramount and at the heart of many financial sector players.
PAIX’s Country Manager, Bright Asiamah Tawiah, highlighted the importance of harnessing the country’s digital financial infrastructure. He outlined the company’s commitment to providing direct connections, a cage system that offers additional layers of security within a shared area and carrier neutral data services in Africa.
“We are carving footprints in Africa as we provide exquisite data solutions to our customers. We are committed to delivering cross-connect, a cage system that offers a layer of security within a shared area as we house Africa’s key network providers,” he said
He emphasised that PAIX’s objective for 2024 is to focus on financial institutions, hence the meeting aims to explore areas of collaboration between the company and financial sector players.
With a state-of-the-art storage facility and security systems, he noted that Pan African Internet Exchange is leading the way in providing data-sovereignty to financial institutions and its emerging clientele.
Data security key in digitalisation
Touching on the role of data centres in the economy’s digitalisation and growth, Mr. Asiamah Tawiah said all over the world countries are thinking about digitalisation, adding: “We are looking at how the health sector can digitise, we are talking about digitalising the agricultural sector; we can do same for the entire economy and the benefits will be huge”.
“With Ghana being one of the champions of digitisation, the role of data centres is becoming very important; because at the end of the day, do we want to ignore our data sovereignty rules or do we have to make sure they work so we can keep the data in-country?” he quizzed.
Mr. Asiamah Tawiah further indicated that the existence of data centres in the country will minimise the financial burden associated with seeking such services outside the shores of Ghana.
PAIX leading the way
Speaking on what sets PAIX apart from the competition, he said as one of the founding members of the Accra Internet Exchange (Accra-IX) – a non-profit making entity, Accra IX offers a unique selling proposition; offering direct accessibility to free ports, direct access to local content and better latency to financial platforms.
He further cited the benefits users reap when they patronise PAIX data centre services: “We have all the Internet service providers connected in our data centre; we have all the major telecommunication networks”.
Another feature of PAIX, he emphasised, is use of the cross-connect systems to provide real-time quick data access. “When you are an enterprise and want Internet services, you don’t need to tell your telecom company to push fibre on the ground to your office. We do what we call cross-connect, and you get your Internet service from your provider”.
“With PAIX being the gateway to the country’s data storage solutions, we are carving footprints in Africa with our operations currently in five countries – including Rwanda, Cote d’Ivoire, Kenya, Senegal and Ghana.”
Didier Akakpovi, Head of Operations at PAIX, highlighted the company’s sustainable business model. He disclosed the use of resilient systems and humidity controls, which he explains forms part of PAIX’s commitment to environmental sustainability.
“We provide colocation services because risk is very key within the financial sector. What we are saying is that the banks should leave their data storage needs to PAIX; we will take care of them all, even in unforeseen circumstances,” Mr. Akakpovi assured.
At the same event, Silas Peprah – Project Coordinator at Accra Internet Exchange (Accra-IX), reiterated the many challenges that greet Internet service providers daily in exchanging traffic efficiently with other networks; saying high latency and high cost of connectivity sit atop these challenges.
It is in this light that he said the Accra-IX is offering lower data costs through bilateral peering.
Accra-IX is also committed to providing a neutral platform for all, Mr. Peprah added.
About PAIX
PAIX data centre is a pan African provider of cloud and carrier neutral colocation data centre services in Africa. PAIX was founded in 2016 and has over the years become a leading data storage service provider in the country, offering globally accepted quality services to a wide range of clients including national and international customers across the African continent.
