Konza Technopolis Development Authority acting CEO Catherine Adeya at the park on May 29, 2014. Photo/DIANA NGILA
What you need to know:
Equity Bank currently stores its electronic information at its data centre based at its headquarters in Nairobi’s Upper Hill and has also leased back-up space at East Africa Data centre along Mombasa Road.
Equity Bank has booked space to build a Sh3 billion electronic data centre at Konza Technology City, the Konza Technopolis Development Authority said Thursday while announcing that up to 345 local and international companies have shown interest in moving to the park.
Phase one of the tech city will cover 400 acres of land, which has already been mapped out by the University of Nairobi Enterprise Services (Unes).
Equity Bank currently stores its electronic information at its data centre based at its headquarters in Nairobi’s Upper Hill and has also leased back-up space at East Africa Data centre along Mombasa Road.
“We have received 345 local and international investors who have expressed interest, among the locals is Equity Bank that intends to build a Sh3 billion data centre,” said the acting CEO of Konza Technopolis Development Authority (Kotda) Catherine Adeya in a media tour of the park Thursday.
Kotda is a government agency spearheading the development of Konza Techno City.
Equity Bank recently acquired a Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNO) licence that allows it to offer telecommunication and mobile money services, which is expected to increase the volumes of data its generates.
Upon completion of phase one, Konza is expected to create 16,200 jobs. The technopolis is expected to host various amenities including ICT research centres, a university complex, offices, residential houses and parks.
Konza is also expected to host foreign and local business process outsourcing (BPO) companies, a science park, a convention centre, shopping malls, hotels, international schools and health facilities.
Unes won the tender to conduct the survey in February and completed the task on Friday, paving the way for construction work to start.
The land has been divided into seven bands, a transport hub, area for higher learning (universities), high density residential area, recreation and public area, technology and life, commercial mixed use, and an area for offices all totalling to 168 parcels.
Completion of the survey allows for the ministries of roads, water, and the Kenya Power to start putting their infrastructure. Kenya Power is already on the ground putting electricity lines to power the seven boreholes already sunk at the site.
