Telecom
Data Center Operators to Invest Massively in Growth of Digital Infrastructure Across Africa
Leading data center operators across Africa are investing massively in expanding their footprint to power the explosive growth in data consumption and digital services fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Server racks in server room data center.
These investments will ensure that large enterprises delivering services across Africa, and global Content Delivery Networks will be able to provide seamless and uninterrupted services to their subscribers without incurring the costs of building their own data centers.
This was revealed at the recently concluded plenary session at the International Telecoms Week 2021 themed “Explore the growing Data Center ecosystem in West Africa”, sponsored by MainOne.
The panel comprising of the leadership of leading data center businesses across the continent included the CEOs of MainOne, Funke Opeke, Ayotunde Coker of Rack Center, Wouter van Hulten of Pan-African Internet Exchange Data Centres (PAIX), Stephane Duproz of Africa Data Centres and was moderated by Guy Zibi of Xalam Analytics, the leading analyst covering data center developments on the continent.
The industry leaders highlighted the acceleration of investments in the digital infrastructure space in the region brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic which exposed the gaps that exist in the market.
Of particular note was the fact that West Africa currently delivers less than 10% of the total African data center capacity and that Africa which is home to about 17% of the world’s population has only 1% of the global data center capacity.
This under-representation points to the fact that majority of data content consumed in Africa is hosted outside the continent and the market is severely underserved.
The speakers agreed that the market was ripe for expansion given the increasing access to broadband and the rapid uptake of services by large enterprises, FinTechs, and global players entering the region for the first time.
In addition, the companies expect that growth to skyrocket with the new submarine cables planned by large global content providers and the deployment of edge nodes in the region.
The CEO of MainOne reviewed the company’s role in closing the gap in the region’s Data Center capacity, stating “In Ghana, we recently launched a Tier III Data Center in Appolonia City, and in Nigeria, we are expanding our Lekki Data Center facility in Lagos which is near capacity with a new build. We will also break ground on our expansion in the VITIB Free trade zone in Abidjan before the end of the year.
The session closed with reflections around the need for sustainability of Data Centers as more organizations focus on becoming carbon neutral. MainOne demonstrated leadership in this area stating “Power remains a challenge in this part of the world and we realised that while there is power available in the grid all across Africa, distribution is one of the key challenges.
“Our strategy has been deploying facilities with direct, privately enabled, access to grid power or independent power plants. This strategy has delivered 94% grid power availability to the Lekki Data Center where we are already exploring replacing diesel with gas and renewable sources for our residual power needs.”
The 2021 Africa Panel session at ITW, continuously sponsored by MainOne for 8 years remains the leading platform for key global players to share perspectives on the growth of digital infrastructure across Africa.
Lynda Saint-Nwafor, chief Enterprise business officer, MTN Nigeria, has assured the network subscribers that the new end-user billing system for the use of USSD services will jot affect them.
USSD, otherwise Unstructured Supplementary Service Data codes are commonly used for banking transactions, airtime recharges, and other mobile services.
The telco said that there is no significant impact or change other than the fact that they will now pay the same N6.98 per session (120 seconds) with their airtime instead of direct bank debit.
Saint-Nwafor, said this during a chat with MTN MIP fellows, explaining that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) have ordered telecom operators to ensure that the new billing model resolves trust issues and ensures transparency in the billing process.
“Our regulator insisted that at the end of every month, we are going to be providing history and statistics on the performance of the service across the board”, she explained.
Saint-Nwafor added that the new billing model has standardized messaging across all operators and ensures consistent communication with customers.
“We will take all the error codes and map them into messages that are standardised across the board. So, if you initiate a transaction, you will know if it is failing. And, when the transaction fails, you will know if it is from your bank or the telco,” she explained.
The U.S. government has recovered $225 million in what is now the largest seizure of funds linked to a cryptocurrency investment scam.
In a statement released Wednesday, June 18, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said the recovery followed an extensive investigation by the FBI and the U.S. Secret Service, using blockchain analysis and other forensic tools. The statement did not confirm whether any arrests had been made.
According to the authorities, the stolen funds originated from fraudulent cryptocurrency investment schemes that tricked victims into believing they were making legitimate investments. More than 400 individuals around the world, including dozens in the United States, were reportedly affected.
The operation involved a sophisticated money laundering network that carried out hundreds of thousands of blockchain transactions to obscure the source and ownership of the stolen assets.
“These scams prey on trust, often resulting in extreme financial hardship for the victims,” said Shawn Bradstreet, Special Agent in Charge at the U.S. Secret Service office in San Francisco.
Bradstreet added that U.S. officials hope the recovered funds can eventually be returned to the rightful victims.
Cryptocurrency investment fraud accounted for over $5.8 billion in reported losses in 2024 alone, according to the statement.
In a rousing declaration that is electrifying minds across the continent, Hon. Nnaemeka Ani, Special Adviser on ICT to Enugu State Governor, Dr. Peter Mbah, has called for a homegrown digital revolution under the banner “Africa Will Rise: By Code, By Courage, By Us.”
Hon. Nnaemeka Ani
The message, part challenge, part philosophical—seeks to galvanize African innovators to move beyond buzzwords and build technology with impact and legacy in mind.
“Let’s stop building for hype. Let’s start building for legacy,” Ani urged while speaking to ICT journalists over the weekend. “Let’s stop waiting for someone else. Let’s start creating the future—on our own terms.”
At the heart of Ani’s vision is a shift from tech consumerism to tech authorship. With innovation hubs sprouting across cities like Enugu, Lagos, Kigali, Jo’Burg, and Nairobi, and a growing community of developers, engineers, and entrepreneurs determined to solve Africa’s unique challenges, the movement is already taking shape.
Ani emphasized that Africa’s future lies not in flashy apps or international admiration but in persistent, intentional solutions that uplift communities—solutions that digitize public services, bridge rural-urban divides, empower women and youth, and build resilience in food and climate systems.
“We have the talent,” he said. “Now it’s time to harness it—to stop building for likes and start building for lasting impact.”
With support from leaders like Ani and rising momentum in Africa’s tech corridors, it seems that a new chapter is being written—one line of code at a time.
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