Experts have warned that Africa’s ability to harness the power of technology hinged on its ability to break down silos and foster collaboration across various sectors.
This was the consensus at the recent Hyperscalers Convergence Africa conference in Lagos, where industry leaders, policymakers, and innovators gathered to address the continent’s digital infrastructure challenges.
The conference convener, Temitope Osunrinde, underscored the need for integrating different digital infrastructure components, including subsea cables, tower companies, fibre networks, and satellite internet.
“Subsea cables, tower companies, fibre networks, and satellite internet are all critical elements.
“However, without convergence, these elements remain disconnected, hindering our ability to fully leverage digital technology,” Osunrinde said.
Industry experts identified power shortages, high energy costs, and limited access to renewable energy sources as significant obstacles to digital progress.
The lack of robust middle-mile infrastructure was also cited as a barrier to efficient data traffic distribution.
The chairman of the conference, Yemi Okeremi, noted, “Africa’s vast population and immense potential are overshadowed by its digital infrastructure deficit. Despite our efforts, we still lag behind other regions in terms of data centre capacity and fibre connectivity.”
To address those challenges, experts advocated for collaborative partnerships between governments, private sector companies, and international organizations.
They also emphasised the need for supportive policy frameworks that foster competition, innovation, and affordability.
The Programme Manager of Network Investments at Meta, Ego Jegede, agreed to collaborate on the 2Africa project.
He noted that the model of cooperation among competitors should be replicated for terrestrial corridors to address infrastructure gaps and improve connectivity.
However, the enabling environment for power projects, particularly around transmission and distribution, was recognised as a significant barrier.
The Regional Executive at Africa Data Centres, Dr Krish Ranganath, urged for collaboration among industry stakeholders on power and real estate.
He suggested that data centres along a geographical axis could work together with independent power producers.