Africa’s Data Center Boom: Experts Call for Ecosystem Maturity, Local Interconnection

At the Africa Peering and Interconnection Forum (AfPIF 2025) held in Lagos, Nigeria, a high-level panel of digital infrastructure leaders explored the continent’s evolving data center landscape, unpacking the drivers of growth, the readiness for AI, and what it will take to localize more traffic at scale.

Titled “Africa’s Data Centre Landscape: Growth, Challenges, and Viability,” the panel was moderated by Gbenga Adegbiji, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Geniserve, and featured the Chief Executive Officer, Open Access Data Centres, Dr. Ayotunde Coker; Chief Executive Officer, Rack Centre, Lars Johannisson; Regional Executive, Africa Data Centres, Dr. Krish Ranganath; Managing Partner at Ifogora Advisory, Nkiru Chime; and Managing Director of Equinix West Africa, Wole Abu.

Speakers unanimously agreed that Africa’s data center sector is emerging as a strong investment class – citing parallels with the S&P 500’s top performers, where digital infrastructure now dominates. As Wole Abu put it, “Everyone wants to follow the money – and right now, demand for data is rising exponentially.”

Panelists highlighted rising internet penetration, increasing enterprise digitization, and regulatory improvements such as tax incentives and more predictable licensing regimes as key accelerators.

The panel also underscored the opportunity gap: Africa holds 18 percent of the world’s population but generates only 4 percent of global GDP.

Coker further stated that we need to close the prosperity gap in order to the digital gap.

With AI workloads demanding low-latency, high-density infrastructure, the panel addressed whether African data centers are ready.

Krish Ranganath said: “Yes, the quality of facilities now being developed is future-proof.”

The consensus was that Africa’s newest Tier III and IV facilities especially those clustered around undersea cable landing stations are built to global standards and primed for AI and content workloads.

Coker said: “It is all part of the mix. We are not just building racks. We are building ecosystems.”

He cited Open Access Data Centres’ new facility in Kinshasa as a prime example – already attracting multiple IXPs and fostering a more open, carrier-neutral interconnection environment.

A recurring theme was the need for better interconnection and cloud localization. “We still need more IXPs and more efficient digital ecosystems,” said Lars Johannisson.

Panelists called for colocated interconnection hubs that make it easy for content and cloud platforms to exchange traffic locally, reducing latency and boosting performance for end-users.

Nkiru Chime reinforced the message: “Carrier neutrality must improve. We need to build platforms where networks, clouds, and content can meet.”

The panel closed with a collective call to action – Africa’s data center expansion must go beyond square meters and megawatts. It must be about enabling the entire ecosystem: from policy and power to peering and platforms.

The 15th edition of the Africa Peering and Interconnection Forum was held August 19 – 21, and was hosted by the Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN), Rack Centre and Af-CIX (De-CIX).