Visa, the global leader in digital payments, has officially launched its first data centre on the African continent, a landmark development in its long-term strategy to bolster digital payment capabilities across Africa. The state-of-the-art facility, located in Johannesburg, South Africa, was commissioned today and is set to play a pivotal role in enhancing the speed, security, and reliability of digital transactions—not only within South Africa but across the entire continent.
This strategic investment underscores Visa’s commitment to supporting Africa’s accelerating digital transformation. As economies across the region increasingly embrace digital technologies, the Johannesburg data centre will serve as a foundational pillar for scalable, secure, and efficient payment processing.
In conjunction with the data centre launch, Visa announced a substantial investment of R1 billion (approximately $56.9 million USD) aimed at advancing digital growth initiatives throughout Africa. This funding will be directed toward several key areas:
- Expanding access to contactless and AI-driven payment technologies
- Fostering innovation among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)
- Creating employment opportunities within the digital economy
- Strengthening financial inclusion across underserved communities
Michael Berner, Visa’s Group Country Manager for Southern and Eastern Africa, emphasized the broader vision behind the initiative. “This data centre is more than just infrastructure—it’s a launchpad for innovation and growth across Africa,” he said. Berner also highlighted the facility’s role in enabling next-generation technologies, including generative AI, to transform the future of payments on the continent.
South African regulators have welcomed the development as a significant step toward deeper regional financial integration. Tim Masela, a representative of the South African Reserve Bank, praised the initiative, noting that South Africa’s robust regulatory framework, combined with its advanced connectivity infrastructure—such as submarine cables and fibre-optic networks—makes it an ideal host for such a critical facility.
The move aligns with a broader trend of global technology firms expanding their infrastructure presence in South Africa. Companies like Google, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, and Equinix have all recently increased their investments in the country, recognizing its strategic importance as a digital gateway to the rest of the continent.
The Johannesburg launch follows Visa’s March 2025 announcement of plans to establish a second African data centre in Nigeria. This upcoming facility is part of a broader investment strategy that has already seen Visa inject over $1 billion into Nigeria’s digital economy. Key components of that investment include:
- A $200 million equity stake in Nigerian fintech giant Interswitch
- Strategic partnerships with MoniePoint and ThriveAgric to expand financial services for SMEs and smallholder farmers
- Support for mobile payment rollouts in collaboration with partners like Hugo and Samsung
The Nigerian data centre is expected to significantly enhance local payment processing capabilities, reduce latency, and support large-scale financial inclusion efforts.
Together, the South African and Nigerian data centres represent a dual-anchor approach in Visa’s Africa strategy. South Africa offers regulatory stability and continental reach, while Nigeria brings fintech dynamism and innovation. By investing in both physical infrastructure and local ecosystems, Visa is positioning itself as a central enabler of Africa’s digital financial future.
