- Rapid digitalisation and the rise of AI are driving strong demand for data centres across Africa, with capacity in leading markets projected to grow sharply by 2030, extending beyond South Africa to countries such as Kenya, Nigeria, Egypt, and Morocco.
- Power availability and reliability have emerged as the central constraint, as data centres are highly energy-intensive and outages carry significant operational risk.
- Operators like Raxio Group are investing directly in power infrastructure and backup systems to ensure uptime, though this raises costs and complicates sustainability goals.
- While renewable energy and solar PPAs offer long-term solutions, regulatory barriers persist in many markets, positioning East Africa—with its strong renewable base—as a potential future hub for greener data centre development.
