Belgium has announced its support for a digital partnership, launched at AfricaCom 2025, to roll out a pay-as-you-go SASE (secure access service edge) cyber security and SD-WAN network solution, OMNIA, primarily targeting Africa’s SME market.
The partnership includes networking and cyber security specialist, ATOMNIA, the Wallonia Export & Investment Agency (AWEX) and Belgian technology incubator and support organisation, IGNITY.
It aims to grow secured digital connectivity in Africa, focusing on a continent-wide roll-out of OMNIA via distribution partner Smart Hands Africa. It targets SMEs that struggle with remote locations, unreliable internet and intermittent electricity supply.
ATOMNIA’s current partner network includes GF Technologies in SA and Wasp Digital in Ghana.
The company says the Belgium-backed alliance is new and there are no implementation deals yet, but it will likely target partners in the SME and mid-market space first.
The plan is to select one or two MSPs or telcos per country across Africa. ATOMNIA adds that it will implement a country-specific gateway to ensure data sovereignty.
EU investment in SA
According to ATOMNIA, EU member states collectively account for 41% of total foreign direct investment into SA. More than 2 000 EU companies currently operate in the country, creating more than half a million direct and indirect jobs.
Belgium is the fifth-largest EU supplier to SA and the third-largest EU client. In 2024, Belgian exports to SA amounted to €1.5 billion, while imports from SA totalled €2.9 billion.
Speaking at the signing ceremony held at the AfricaCom reception at the Belgian Consulate in Cape Town last week, Anthony Senter, CEO and co-founder of ATOMNIA, said: “Our partnerships with IGNITY and AWEX have helped us with our international expansion, but have been especially beneficial in furthering our African aspirations. We are looking forward to growing our network of partners throughout the continent and making a meaningful contribution to business development in the region.”
Catherine Bauwens, trade and investment counsellor at AWEX, added: “Digital transformation on the continent is booming. In May this year, we organised a trade mission focused on digital technologies and smart city solutions to support market access for companies from Wallonia and Brussels. Twelve companies took part, with all of them reporting very positive outcomes. We believe that South Africa, and Cape Town in particular, offer a dynamic tech ecosystem well suited for international collaboration.”
Unpacking the African offering, Anton Jacobsz, CEO of Smart Hand Africa, said: “OMNIA has been designed to solve the networking and cyber security challenges that so many African businesses face. These include high costs exacerbated by inflexible, long-term contracts from major global vendors. Our pay-as-you-go approach reduces upfront costs for small and medium businesses and simplifies adoption, no matter how remote they may be. This is how we build a connected, empowered and tech-enabled Africa.”
Senter concluded: “This all-in-one approach and ability to use varied connection types make the product more robust and versatile than just a conventional SD-WAN.”
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