Cybastion plans $75m Cameroon data centre

US-based cybersecurity company Cybastion plans to invest $75 million in an artificial intelligence-powered data centre and power plant in Douala, Cameroon, as part of nearly $7 billion in US investment and trade opportunities identified between the two countries.

The investment was announced during the inaugural US–Cameroon Bilateral Economic and Commercial Dialogue in August, alongside projects spanning technology, critical minerals, infrastructure, energy, forestry and logistics. The US Embassy in Cameroon said the opportunities are at various stages of development.

Cybastion’s proposed infrastructure would combine a sovereign data centre with dedicated power capacity, targeting growing demand for computing, digital services and artificial intelligence. 

The company says the project will address the need for both computing capacity and reliable power as cloud computing and AI adoption expand.

Cameroon is advancing its digital transformation agenda under Vision 2035 and the National Development Strategy 2020–2030. The country’s digital economy contributes just over 5% of GDP and is expected to grow at 6.4% annually through 2029, according to the US Department of Commerce.

The growth is being driven by urban centres including Douala, Yaoundé and Buea, home to the country’s “Silicon Mountain” technology hub.

The US and Cameroon also discussed measures to improve the business environment for American investors, including taxation, maritime transport, shipping logistics and mining-sector reform, according to the embassy.

New York-based fintech company Azamra also plans to facilitate investment by the Cameroonian diaspora and accelerate cross-border digital payments.

Infrastructure investor Hydromine is working towards a proposed $3.5 billion, 1,040-megawatt Grand Eweng hydropower project on the Sanaga River.

In the critical minerals sector, a US–Australia partnership between Connecticut-based Tronox and Australia-based Lion Rock is advancing a $500 million rutile project.

American Renaissance Minerals, a Washington DC-headquartered critical minerals development company, is in discussions to develop a cobalt-nickel-manganese project in Nkamouna, with an initial investment of approximately $85 million.

The US Embassy said the projects demonstrate growing private-sector interest in Cameroon and a shared effort by the two governments to create a more business-enabling environment for investment.