At CAMTEL Data Center
The three-day forum hosted at the CAMTEL Data Centre, Central Africa’s only Tier III carrier-neutral facility, brought together government officials, ICT regulators, financial institutions, start-ups, and international partners under the theme "Data sovereignty and collaboration of local actors for the rise of digital security in Cameroon," to discuss data sovereignty, cloud adoption, and digital resilience in Cameroon.
Delivering the keynote address, Dr. Anye Divine, Senior Strategy Advisor and cybersecurity expert, stressed that no nation can achieve digital sovereignty without strong collaboration across government agencies and private stakeholders. She underscored the need for a unified national hosting strategy, arguing that consolidating data within the country strengthens security, enhances regulatory compliance, and accelerates economic growth.
Regulators echoed these concerns. Tsafak Pauline, Director of ICT Regulation at the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, warned that hosting data abroad exposes institutions to foreign laws that may conflict with Cameroonian legislation. She emphasized that data sovereignty is not a constraint but a strategic advantage that ensures better protection of personal and electronic data.
Start-ups also highlighted the practical benefits of local hosting. Emmanuel Warri, Technical Coordinator at Alternative Credit Score, noted that storing data locally improves accessibility, speeds up processing, and supports more reliable financial decision-making—critical for platforms assessing loan eligibility through mobile money and digital financial data.
Family picture
Across all sessions, participants agreed that the CAMTEL Data Centre’s robust infrastructure—including a high-performance fibre network ensuring 100% uptime, advanced security systems, and disaster-recovery capabilities—positions it as a key driver of Cameroon’s digital economy. The facility’s capacity to support cloud services, data storage, and national redundancy makes it central to efforts to strengthen cybersecurity, build investor confidence, and keep value within the country.
The event concluded with a guided tour of the data centre, reinforcing the message that local data hosting is essential for national credibility, economic growth, and digital sovereignty.
0 Comments