I’ve just come back from Kenya. I always love going to Nairobi, and this time was no exception. I was there to organise the launch of the opening of a new floor at the East Africa Data Centre (EADC), the only Tier 3 secure electronic data centre in east and central Africa. My company has just invested Ksh 1bn (that’s almost $12m in old money) expanding rack space to meet demand.

The data centre, which now houses Kenya’s Internet Exchange Point, has been credited by the global Internet Society as a key factor in driving down internet prices in Kenya, to among the lowest in Africa.

Greeting ICT CS, Dr Fred Matiang'i at the entrance to the EADC, Nairobi, Kenya

The East Africa Data Centre has transformed how data traffic is handled in the region by providing a central point for interconnect services, it has reduced latency, improved data services, reduced costs and made it easier to transfer data across networks.

For almost a decade now, I’ve been arguing that by keeping African data in Africa we will reduce the costs of internet access while creating an environment that encourages innovation and entrepreneurial culture in ICT and local business.