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Africa’s Active Data Centres’ Capacity on Back Foot, Despite Investment Push

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With its meteoric rise in data centre development and it accounting for 20% of the global population, Africa still only has 0.6% of global data centre capacity.

This is based on the 2026 Economic Report: Data Centres in Africa, published by Africa Data Centres Association (ADCA), in partnership with Rising Advisory.

The US hosts about 45% of the world’s data centres, while Africa accounts for less than 1% of global capacity.

According to the report, Africa’s active capacity stands at 360MW, with 238MW under construction and 656MW in the pipeline.

By comparison, global active capacity is at 5.5GW, with 1.5GW under construction and a development pipeline of 13.5GW.

Even if all of Africa’s announced projects materialise, says the report, the continent is projected to maintain rather than increase its global share, as hyperscale expansion accelerates elsewhere.

“This is not a catch-up cycle; it is a race to avoid deeper structural marginalisation in global compute,” notes Faith Waithaka, chairperson of ADCA.

“Capacity development in Africa must be approached with a long-term perspective, recognising that infrastructure growth will precede full utilisation as digital ecosystems continue to evolve.

“Sustainability is now a central consideration for the sector. Improving energy-efficiency and integrating renewable energy sources are essential to the viability of data centre operations. Africa is uniquely positioned in this regard, with vast untapped potential across solar, wind, hydro and geothermal resources. Leveraging these assets can support greener data centres, while strengthening energy security and long-term competitiveness.”

Africa’s data centre market is projected by Mordor Intelligence to reach $4.36 billion by 2031, with the South African market considered a “sweet spot” due to its favourable position on the African continent.

South Africa is the largest data centre market on the continent, with55 data centres already built. The country’s geographical position also makes it a strategic hub for regional and international connectivity.

Firms such as Digital Realty-owned Teraco, Vantage Data Centres, Open Access Data Centres and Equinix have expanded their data centre footprint in SA, while hyperscalers Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google and Microsoft Azure have also built local data centre facilities.

The country’s data centre momentum has been highlighted by president Cyril Ramaphosa on several occasions, notably stating that more than R50 billion in investment is expected in the local data centre space over the next three years.

The data centre capacity buildout has also resulted in government calling for accelerated cloud migration, as the state’s digital transformation efforts require greater use of cloud.

Digital rush

The report notes that the global data centre industry is booming as demand for this “digital gold” accelerates.

Valued at $243 billion in 2025, the market is projected to double by 2032, according to the World Economic Forum.

Meanwhile, UN Trade and Development reports that data centre projects accounted for over one-fifth of all greenfield foreign direct investment in 2025.

“This surge reflects the growing need for artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure, cloud services and digital networks, positioning data centres as indispensable assets driving global growth strategies,” states the report.

“Several converging trends are driving this expansion. Cloud adoption continues to shift workloads off-premises, while AI and big data are reshaping infrastructure needs.”

On the other hand, hyperscale facilities − operated by giants like AWS, Microsoft, Google and Alibaba − have doubled in number roughly every five years, with hyperscale capital expenditure rising nearly 58% year-on-year in 2024.

“Governments across Asia, the Middle East and Africa are offering incentives to attract greenfield projects, recognising data centres as foundations for innovation, skilled employment, and adjacent industries like fintech and AI. Yet Africa faces a stark challenge.

“The continent’s share is expected to expand only in line with global growth, rather than closing the gap. This opportunity has not stayed unnoticed, and investors, expecting high returns, have poured funds into increasing the sector’s capacity by approximately two-thirds.”

Legal steps

According to the report, the heightened activity in the data centre market has resulted in data sovereignty becoming policy reality.

It notes that as of early this year, over 40 African nations have enacted data protection legislation or established data protection authorities, while five additional countries are drafting laws.

Additionally, 15 countries have formalised national AI strategies.

As noted in the ADCA report, the frameworks aim to protect citizens’ rights, while providing legal certainty for investors and digital service providers.

“Governments are increasingly recognising data centres as critical national infrastructure, central to digital sovereignty, financial stability and AI competitiveness.

“As Africa’s digital economies expand, the rules governing ‘where’ and ‘how’ data is stored, processed and transferred are becoming central to economic competitiveness and state capacity.

“Data sovereignty – the principle that data generated within a country should be governed by that country’s laws – has evolved from a legal aspiration into a strategic policy lever, shaping investment patterns, infrastructure deployment and the localisation of digital value chains.”

Even with the frameworks, enforcement capacity often lags legislative ambition, states the report.

“World Bank and GSMA assessments highlight constraints linked to staffing, funding and technical expertise. Yet this enforcement gap also represents a growth opportunity: stronger, more predictable regulation is increasingly seen by investors as a prerequisite for scaling local digital infrastructure. And well-functioning regulation is increasingly functioning as a demand signal.

“Clear localisation and data-protection requirements create predictable demand for compliant, in-country infrastructure, improving bankability for data centre projects and attracting long-term capital.

“Data localisation policies are emerging as part of this broader regulatory maturation. When aligned with market realities, localisation can strengthen oversight, improve accountability and support the development of domestic data centre ecosystems.”

 


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Truecaller Targets Global Market with Powerful New Business Chat Push

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Truecaller, the leading global communications platform, today announced the expansion of its Business Chat platform, making it accessible to global channel partners and enterprise solution providers. By “opening up” market access to its platform, Truecaller is empowering partners to transition their enterprise clients from legacy, low-trust SMS to a verified, smart, media-rich, and conversational communication experience.

Truecaller Targets Global Market with Powerful New Business Chat Push

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Through this partner-led expansion, Truecaller empowers businesses to reclaim customer attention and establish immediate trust and credibility.

“The definition of success for modern enterprises has fundamentally evolved. It’s no longer just about delivery – it’s about earning attention, establishing credibility, and driving meaningful conversion,” said Priyam Bose, Global Head, GTM at Truecaller.

“By opening up market access to our global partners, we’ve created a powerful gateway for brands to engage with over 500 million active users where they already interact daily through communication that is contextual, trusted, free from clutter, and designed to initiate actions. For existing customers, the outreach opportunity extends to an additional high-impact channel, strengthening the overall customer experience journey.”

Truecaller Business Chat enables a clutter-free, high-trust conversational experience between businesses and consumers. The Business Chat platform equips partners with actionable insights, including real-time data and rich engagement metrics. This facilitates a more sophisticated, data-driven communication strategy that adapts at every stage of the customer journey.

Partners, including Gupshup and OneXtel, are already live in India along with Globe Teleservices, Cloudcom, and Sling Africa in other global markets, rapidly scaling the product in their respective regions. Global partners can now leverage Truecaller’s massive footprint to offer their clients a trustworthy engagement channel in an increasingly crowded digital world.


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Meta Unveils Muse Spark: MSL’s Groundbreaking People-First AI Model

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Meta Superintelligence Labs (MSL) unveiled Muse Spark Tuesday, its first large language model in a new Muse series, designed from scratch to deliver “personal superintelligence”—an AI assistant tailored to users’ real-world needs like complex reasoning in science, math and health.

Meta Unveils Muse Spark: MSL’s Groundbreaking People-First AI Model

Meta AI

A New Model: Muse Spark

Over the last nine months, Meta Superintelligence Labs rebuilt our AI stack from the ground up, moving faster than any development cycle we have run before. Muse Spark is the first model in our new Muse series — a deliberate and scientific approach to model scaling where each generation validates and builds on the last before we go bigger. This initial model is small and fast by design, yet capable enough to reason through complex questions in science, math, and health. It is a powerful foundation, and the next generation is already in development. Muse Spark now powers the Meta AI assistant in the Meta AI app and meta.ai, built to support complex reasoning and multimodal tasks.

What’s Changed with Meta AI

The Meta AI app and meta.ai are getting an upgrade today, along with a new look. Whether you need a quick answer or help with complex problems that need strong reasoning, Meta AI now handles both. You can switch between modes depending on the task, and Meta AI can launch multiple subagents in parallel to tackle your question. Like planning a family trip to Florida where one agent drafts the itinerary, another compares Orlando vs. the Keys, and a third finds kid-friendly activities — all at the same time, giving you a better answer, faster.

Ask Meta AI: It Understands

The real world moves fast, and most of it does not fit into a text box. That is why we built strong multimodal perception into Muse Spark, so Meta AI can see and understand what you are looking at, not just read what you type. Snap a photo of an airport snack shelf and Meta AI can identify and rank the snacks with the most protein — no label-squinting required. Scan a product and ask how it compares to alternatives. It is the difference between an AI that waits for you to explain the world and one that can simply look at the world with you. And when Meta AI powered by Muse Spark comes to our AI glasses, the assistant will be able to better see and understand the world around you.

Multimodal perception is especially valuable for health. With Muse Spark, Meta AI is now able to help you navigate health questions with more detailed responses, including some questions involving images and charts. Health is one of the top reasons people turn to AI, so we worked with a team of physicians to develop the model’s ability to provide helpful information on common health questions and concerns.

Muse Spark excels at visual coding, letting you create custom websites and mini-games straight from a prompt. Ask Meta AI to build a dashboard for planning a big surprise party, spin up a retro arcade game to chase a high score, or launch a whimsical flight simulator — and share any of them with friends.

Ask Meta AI: It’s Plugged Into What You Care About

Meta AI can now help you discover what to wear, how to style a room, or what to buy for someone you know. Shopping mode draws from the styling inspiration and brand storytelling already happening across our apps, surfacing ideas from the creators and communities people already follow.

And when you are looking up a place to go or a topic that is trending, Meta AI surfaces rich and relevant context right alongside the conversation. Tap into a location and see public posts from locals who know the area. Ask what people are buzzing about and get the full picture, pulled from content and community posts. It is context from your people, right where you need it.

Looking Ahead

The Meta AI app and meta.ai will have the upgraded experience with Instant and Thinking modes everywhere they are available today. The new Meta AI features are starting to roll out in the US on both. In the coming weeks, we will bring these new modes and capabilities to more countries and to the places where people use Meta AI, including Instagram, Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp, and our AI glasses — where these perception capabilities become even more powerful. We are also opening access to the underlying technology. It will be available in private preview via API to select partners, and we hope to open-source future versions of the model.

This is only the start. As we expand these features, expect richer, more visual results, with Reels, photos, and posts woven directly into your answers, with credit back to the content creators. And as our models improve, we’ll continue to build safeguards for things like safety and privacy, starting with the strengthened risk framework and other protections we’re sharing today.

The future of Meta AI is rooted in the relationships and context already at the center of your life. We are building toward personal superintelligence — an AI that does not just answer your questions but truly understands your world because it is built on it.


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From Import Dependency to Local Capacity: Nigeria’s Tech Manufacturing Journey

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The recent escalation in the US-Israel conflict with Iran has delivered a sharp reminder of Nigeria’s economic vulnerability. As oil prices surged past $100 per barrel and fuel costs climbed by 35% at Nigerian pumps, a troubling paradox emerged: Nigeria, a major crude oil producer with Africa’s largest privately-owned refinery now operational, still found itself buffeted by global energy shocks originating thousands of miles away.

From Import Dependency to Local Capacity: Nigeria's Tech Manufacturing Journey

Zinox

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz and resulting disruptions to global energy markets exposed the deeper structural challenge facing Nigeria’s economy. Despite domestic crude production and the operational Dangote Refinery, Nigeria has struggled with rising inflation, which reached approximately 27% in 2025. The crisis illuminated an uncomfortable truth: decades of import dependency have left Nigeria’s economy precariously exposed to external shocks, even in sectors where the country possesses natural advantages.

This vulnerability extends beyond energy. Nigeria’s technology sector offers a particularly instructive case study in the costs of import reliance, and the transformative potential of local capacity as the pathway to economic stability and technological sovereignty.

Against this backdrop, Zinox Technologies stands as a compelling counternarrative. Founded in 2001 by technology entrepreneur Leo Stan Ekeh, Zinox operates West Africa’s only computerized digital assembly plant. As Nigeria’s first indigenous computer manufacturer, Zinox demonstrates what becomes possible when vision, investment, and commitment to local capacity converge.

The company’s reach extends beyond traditional computing. Zinox’s innovation spans renewable energy through iPower and home electronics with iTEC, addressing Nigeria’s chronic power challenges with locally-assembled solar solutions and backup systems designed for Nigerian conditions. This diversification reflects sophisticated understanding: true technological sovereignty requires integrated capabilities.

Zinox’s journey offers a clear case study in how indigenous companies can drive transformation. By focusing on local assembly and manufacturing of computer hardware and digital devices, the company has contributed to building a domestic technology ecosystem that supports government institutions, educational systems, and private enterprises. This approach not only reduces reliance on foreign imports but also creates jobs, transfers knowledge, and strengthens national capacity.

The implications are significant. Every locally assembled device represents a step away from foreign exchange exposure. It also signals a shift in mindset — from consumption to production. In a country where demand for technology continues to rise, especially with the acceleration of digital adoption, the importance of local manufacturing cannot be overstated.

Beyond economics, there is also a strategic dimension. Technology is no longer just a commercial tool; it is a defense tool and a national asset. Countries that control their technology supply chains are better positioned to innovate, secure their data, and compete globally. In this context, companies like Zinox are not merely businesses; they are enablers of national development.

Furthermore, local capacity development has a multiplier effect. It stimulates ancillary industries such as logistics, retail, maintenance, and technical services. It also fosters entrepreneurship, as more Nigerians gain access to affordable and reliable technology tools needed to participate in the digital economy.

Yet, while progress has been made, there is still work to be done. Scaling local manufacturing requires sustained policy support, infrastructure investment, and a deliberate focus on skills development. It also calls for stronger collaboration between the public and private sectors to create an environment where indigenous innovation can thrive.

Encouragingly, the momentum is building. There is a growing recognition that Nigeria must move beyond being a consumer market to becoming a production hub. This shift is not only necessary, it is urgent. Global uncertainties will continue to test economies, and only those with strong internal capabilities will remain resilient.

The current global crisis offers clarity. If the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened or supply chains to imports are fractured, only countries with strong domestic manufacturing capacity will weather the storm. Those dependent on imports suffer disproportionately.

The story of Zinox Technologies underscores what is possible. It shows that with the right mix of vision and execution, Nigeria can chart a new course, one defined by self-reliance, innovation, and sustainable growth. As the country navigates an increasingly complex global landscape, the message is clear: the future belongs to economies that build, not just buy.


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