GABORONE – Information minister Peya Mushelenga was nothing short of fascinated following his visit to Botswana’s Digital Delta Data Centre, which boasts modernised processes and systems, coupled with efficiency.   

Mushelenga and his Namibian delegation visited the facility yesterday as part of a three-day benchmarking visit to Botswana, which started on Monday.

They were also shown how the centre’s modernised functions serve the greater good of both the Batswana government and business community.  “You have done great here, in Botswana, with the data centre, and I’m impressed with how it serves the local community and businesses here. One can also see that the private sector, not just government entities, equally benefit from the cloud platforms of this facility. I’m also impressed with the security of power supply to the centre, and that should be the way to go. I’m truly impressed with the work you are doing here,” an excited Mushelenga said. 

The centre is Botswana’s leading premier Tier III Uptime Institute-certified data facility, and it is owned and operated by Botswana Fibre Networks (BoFiNet), a state-owned telecommunications company. 

BoFiNet is charged with the responsibility of running an important national strategic asset in the high-capacity fibre network within Botswana, as well as the international terrestrial links from Botswana to the rest of the world.

Mushelenga commended the centre’s leadership and the Botswana government for coming up with and investing in such a great initiative. 

He said the centre speaks to the future and aspirations of all SADC counties, particularly Namibia.  The Namibian government does not yet have a fully operational and modern data centre of its own, but the country benefits big time from the Tier III Armada Data Centre, which is owned and operated by Paratus Namibia, just outside Windhoek. 

Mushelenga added there are positive lessons Namibia can draw from the Botswana data centre. The two countries, he added, can collaborate to bring Namibia on par with its neighbour in terms of establishing a similar state-owned facility in the future. 

Data

In terms of its set-up and design, the facility was built on a 7 000 square metre piece of land within the BIH Science and Technology Park in Gaborone, and it is made up of two floors of 500 square metres each to facilitate efficient use of available space and the segregation of customers. 

The building is equipped with redundant electrical and mechanical services, which meets and exceeds the globally accepted Tier III standards. Technical support staff are housed on-site to ensure continuous operations of the facility and ensure timeous reactions to any issues arising.

The Namibian delegation comprises executives from the ministry, New Era, NBC, the Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia and other media stakeholders. 

The tour officially ends today, with the delegation expected back home on Thursday. 

- ohembapu@nepc.com.na