Africa is being called the next frontier of the global data centre industry. According to the International Telecommunications Union, demand for data centres on the continent has doubled since 2016, with Africa currently requiring at least 700 new data centres to meet connectivity needs over the medium term, along with corresponding fibre networks necessary to link storage nodes to global communications networks.
Encouragingly, investment in the African data centre market is on the rise, with prominent tech companies and major operators recognizing the potential and actively investing in this sector. But insufficient infrastructure investment has long stymied development across the continent, current investments in data centres and digital infrastructure more broadly fall short of demand. How can we plug this financing gap? How can the continent’s national grids be strengthened to support this growing demand for data centres and is there a need for a comprehensive regulatory framework? What are the possible implications of rising data nationalism and data localisation on Africa’s data centre landscape? These are just some of the pressing questions we hope to tackle through this event.
Join us as our speakers explore the above questions to assess how Africa can advance digital infrastructure and accessibility to encourage a sustainable and inclusive economic environment.
Moderator:
Partner | Charles Russel Speechlys
Speakers:
Co-Founder & CEO | Verto FX
CEO | Agility Africa
Guy Willner
Managing Director, Digital Infrastructure | Helios Investment Partners
Robert Schumann
Group Strategy Manager, Corporate Development | Cassava Technologies