Linklaters advises the lenders on the financing of the development and construction of data centres in seven Sub-Saharan African countries

Linklaters has advised Proparco and The Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund (EAIF), a Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG) company, on the sustainability-linked financing granted to the Raxio Data Centres group, a leading pan-African data centre developer and operator.

The financing will enable the Raxio Data Centres group to progress its ambitious rollout strategy by funding the development and construction of Tier III certified data centres in seven countries across Sub-Saharan Africa, including Côte d’Ivoire and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. These projects will provide up to 11 MW of additional data processing and storage capacity, delivering high-grade colocation and IT infrastructure services in countries with limited or no neutral and open-access data centres.

The financing agreements are anchored in ESG principles and contain incentives to meet sustainability performance criteria such as energy from renewable sources, energy efficiency, responsible water use practices and female empowerment.
The Linklaters team was led by Energy and Infrastructure partner Justin C. Faye and managing associate Nathanaël Caillard, with associates Youssef Berrada, Aïssatou Beye, Anisah Inoussa and Philippe-Olivier Lauriano do Rego in Paris and managing associate Bram Bulter and associate Akrit Anand in Amsterdam.