Africa needs more than 500 additional data centres over the next nine years if it is to attain sovereignty and build a competitive digital trade economy, according to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat.
Speaking in Lagos at the AfCFTA Digital Trade Forum, Wamkele Mene, secretary-general of the secretariat said this is part of required investment in digital infrastructure to supports cross-border electronic commerce under the 8-year old unifying agreement.
“Our studies indicate that our continent, by the end of 2035, will require over 700 data centres to enable us to process our own data, manufacture our own data and to manage our own data,” Mene said.
Research data released by Aritzon advisory and intelligence, a think tank in March 2026 reported that there are currently 132 existing data centres and 57 upcoming across 14 regions on yhe continent.
Their findings further showed that South Africa and Nigeria dominate the market, collectively contributing almost 80 percent of the region’s operational capacity.
