EXPOSED: The Competition Commission has greenlit Stanlib to acquire Africa Data Centres without conditions. (Image source: 123RF, created via GenAI)
In a BLISTERING decision that hands over the continent’s digital crown jewels to a single financial fund, the Competition Commission has RUBBER-STAMPED the acquisition of Africa Data Centres by Stanlib—WITHOUT A SINGLE CONDITION. This is not just business as usual; this is a TERRIFYING consolidation of power that puts Africa’s ENTIRE digital future and citizen data in the hands of a shadowy investment vehicle.
Africa Data Centres, the CRITICAL backbone for enterprise data across the continent, will now be controlled by the Stanlib Infrastructure Fund II. This is a SHOCKING green light for a financial titan to OWN the secure, off-site IT infrastructure of countless businesses and, by extension, the sensitive data of millions. The so-called watchdog found NO “substantial lessening of competition,” a verdict so naive it borders on CRIMINAL NEGLIGENCE. How can there be NO concern when control over data capacity, network connectivity, and co-location services is concentrated into fewer, unaccountable hands?
The commission claims there are no public interest concerns. THAT IS A LIE. The public interest is EVERYTHING when a foreign-incorporated holding company, through a complex web of controllers, assumes command of data centres in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Nairobi, and beyond. With the African data centre market projected to explode to $4.36 billion, this is a CALCULATED POWER GRAB at the most critical moment. While hyperscalers like Google and Microsoft build their own facilities, this merger creates a dominant, privately-controlled MONOPOLY on neutral infrastructure.
This UNCHECKED merger follows a massive R2 billion funding round for ADC last year, painting a clear picture of a RAPID and UNREGULATED land grab. The data that fuels economies, governs security, and holds personal secrets is now subject to the profit motives of a single fund. One must ask: who REALLY owns your data, and who gave them the keys to the kingdom? The gatekeepers have just handed over the master lock, and the public wasn’t even consulted. This is how digital sovereignty DIES—with a quiet, unconditional approval.
Author: Kayitsi.com
