Where the data center boom has surged across now-mature markets in North America and Asia, Africa has long appeared to be the outlier – promising, but slower to accelerate. Today, however, the continent is poised for its moment to get ahead in the digital sector.

At the forefront of this movement is Nxtra Africa, led by CEO Yashnath Issur, who speaks to the development of the African data center market in this DCD>Talks episode. Having experienced the industry from all angles – building, operating, managing, investing, and divesting – Issur believes that this intense ride is only the beginning for Africa’s data center future.

Trends in the African market

Reflecting on the trends shaping the African market, Issur highlights several shifts that have accelerated the region’s rise in global attention. The most significant among them is the dramatic worldwide growth in power and capacity requirements for data centers:

“The whole principle of running the world from Europe and the United States for all cloud and AI demands is being heavily challenged now.”

As Issur notes, a shift like this makes now a pivotal time to build the kind of infrastructure major players are seeking. But for any market, it cannot be just about power availability; it must be about delivering power and capacity tailored to the specific requirements of the region, built to the right technical standards, and aligned with global expectations.

In the short term, demand is being driven by cloud expansion, internal usage, and enterprise needs, all competing for high-quality data center capacity. Looking ahead, Issur predicts that AI will follow, much as it has in more mature markets, though largely on an inference basis.

“The main driver in Africa is emerging in the biggest markets, like Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa, where there is hyperscale demand. These are large, mature markets, and at the end of the day, you have to build data centers capable of hosting services people on the continent are using,” he says, adding:

“This is a big change for Africa as a whole, enabling data sovereignty to be respected across these markets.”

Nxtra’s approach

As a subsidiary of the larger telecommunications group Airtel Africa, Nxtra is helping accelerate Africa’s digital transition through the construction of high-capacity data center facilities.

Nxtra’s strategy for developing both existing and emerging infrastructure focuses on large-scale build-out, with current efforts concentrated in Nigeria, Kenya, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

“The big change we have brought to Africa is that we are building at scale – a 44MW site in Kenya, 13MW in Nigeria, and close to 14MW in DRC,” Issur explains.

“This level of capacity has not been projected here before for multiple reasons, but we have come with clear ambitions to bring the kind of scale that enables cloud in Africa and encourages customers to think long-term about expanding their data center footprints.”

This pioneering approach delivers a level of scale not previously considered – challenging the belief that high performance and large capacity cannot be achieved in markets historically overlooked or underestimated. That said, Issur acknowledges that large-scale development in new regions always comes with challenges:

“In any market, when you first start, there is a knowledge gap you need to bridge – no different from what we’ve seen in Latin America, or in India, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Once you bridge that gap, you can build at scale and with quality. That’s why I challenge the perception that it’s difficult to build anywhere.”

Changing perspectives, one country at a time

By pushing design innovation, focusing on compatibility, and taking a long-term planning approach, Nxtra aims not only to support digital equality and equity within Africa, but also to help alleviate the global capacity crunch by shifting workloads back into emerging markets, benefiting both local ecosystems and international demand.

“I can say in black and white that for current and historic power, we have delivered five nines of reliability. In Kenya, we are using almost 100 percent renewable energy, and in Nigeria, we are using natural gas. This mix demonstrates that you can build at this capacity once you address local challenges – challenges that exist everywhere in the world. You manage them, and ultimately delivering capacity in Africa is, to me, no different than delivering capacity in any emerging market.”

As Tier 1 markets mature, new regions with large populations and clear demand for high-capacity data centers are beginning to stand out. Issur points to Egypt and Morocco joining Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa as rising hubs. Yet, he makes a point of not discounting the likes of Tanzania, Uganda, DRC, Zambia, and Rwanda – all of which he expects will require significant capacity in the coming years as demand for digital services continues to accelerate.

“For me, connectivity domestically has improved quite drastically over the last decade, with Airtel being a pivotal player in improving connectivity across sub-Saharan Africa. This has changed a lot of perceptions, as people used to think connectivity was a major challenge for the continent, but today that is no longer the case.”

To enable sustainable long-term growth, Issur stresses that success depends on making informed choices – selecting the right locations, building at the appropriate scale, and forging partnerships that make energy stability a certainty rather than an aspiration.

As previously untapped regions around the world continue to gain traction and investment for new data center capacity, Issur urges the industry not to overlook Africa – where abundant local talent and capable companies are ready to build what comes next.

To find out more about the rise of the African data center market, watch the full DCD>Talk here.