Along The Rough Path To Sustainably Meeting Africa’s Pent-up Data Demand

“At the onset of a new decade, it is increasingly acknowledged that Africa needs a lot more data center capacity than is currently available, says a 2021 report by the African Data Centres Association (ADCA) in concert with Xalam Analytics.

Africa has a lot of figures that are “set to double in the next decade,” especially population count and individual wealth. Even so, the region’s economic growth is forecast to come through in a “double-digit” fashion. 

At the crux of the region’s encompassing development is data. To attract numbers, crack markets, conquer infrastructural challenges, scale ventures, and expand operations, data is needed. As such, the demand for that data is also set for the double leap. 

Data centers are the chief sources of critical data, especially for companies in the continent—and even the government. But, alas, there aren’t enough data centers to serve Africa’s emerging cult of fast-growing markets.