This month’ s cover story, which can be found on page 14, features Tadele Alemu, Director, IT Infrastructure Management, Tsedey Bank.

He tells us how the bank has transformed from a decentralised microfinance institution into a modern commercial bank by building a cloud-first, hyperconverged platform on Nutanix. By centralising operations, Tsedey Bank has enabled seamless access to services across its 627 branches, improving customer experience and supporting financial inclusion across Ethiopia.

The new infrastructure has delivered strong scalability, operational simplicity and cost efficiency, while ensuring compliance with regulatory standards and robust Disaster Recovery capabilities. Alemu highlights how the platform has empowered internal teams, enabling rapid upskilling and efficient in-house management of systems.

Mark Bowen Editorial Director

As a result, the bank now competes with more established institutions despite being a newer entrant to the market. Looking ahead, Tsedey Bank plans to expand its dual-site infrastructure and digital services, reinforcing its position as a scalable and resilient financial institution.

Elsewhere, we learn how Africa’ s slow and expensive Internet is driven more by policy failures, infrastructure control and weak interconnection than by technology limitations.

Matone Ditlhake argues that fragmented Internet Exchanges force local traffic to route internationally, increasing latency and costs despite growing demand and progress in some markets. Stronger, interconnected regional IXPs are essential to keep data within Africa and support economic growth.

Local content hosting and better peering ecosystems are also critical to reducing costs and improving performance. Governments must treat IXPs as strategic infrastructure and address barriers such as high fibre costs and limited market competition.

Without co-ordinated policy and continental interconnection, Africa risks remaining digitally dependent despite rising connectivity.

You can read more starting on page 24.

Don’ t forget, you can stay informed with daily news updates on our website, where we bring you the latest insights and developments from the world of business technology. I’ d like to wish you a productive and successful month ahead. Please enjoy this issue and take your time to explore the articles we have prepared for you. See you next time. www. intelligentcio. com

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