Africa will need more than 700 data centres to support the digital trade architecture envisioned under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Secretary-General Wamkele Mene said on Tuesday.
The continent currently has about 220 data centres, representing roughly one per cent of global commercial data centre capacity, according to the Africa Data Centres Association, a shortfall increasingly viewed by policymakers and investors as a key bottleneck to digital trade expansion.
Speaking at the opening of GITEX Africa in Marrakech, Morocco, Mene said investments in digital infrastructure, including data centres, cross-border payment systems and harmonised regulatory frameworks, will be critical to enabling Africa’s planned $3.6tn single market under the AfCFTA.
He noted that the adoption of the AfCFTA Protocol on Digital Trade by African Heads of State marked a shift toward establishing the regulatory and technical foundations needed to enable intra-African digital commerce at scale, expand private-sector participation, and accelerate cross-border payments across the continent.
“The success of digital trade in Africa will depend on our ability to build at 700 data centres and localise digital infrastructure,” the executive stated.
According to him, compute capacity hosted within the continent would be critical to supporting platforms, financial systems, and emerging artificial intelligence workloads.
Africa’s data centre market currently has about 360 megawatts of operational IT capacity, with an additional 238 MW under construction and roughly 656 MW in planned projects as of early 2026. Total installed capacity is projected to triple to about 1.2 gigawatts by 2030, driven largely by hyperscaler cloud investments, artificial intelligence adoption, and expanding fintech ecosystems.
Mene noted that effective implementation of the Digital Trade Protocol could accelerate the growth of regional cloud ecosystems and reduce reliance on offshore hosting for African enterprise workloads, supporting a digital economy projected to reach $721bn by 2050.
Improved digital integration, he added, would enhance trade efficiency, expand opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises, and strengthen Africa’s rapidly growing fintech ecosystem through interoperable payments infrastructure and harmonised market rules.
However, he warned that building hundreds of new data centres alongside terrestrial fibre networks and cross-border exchange infrastructure would require coordinated financing involving development finance institutions and private investors capable of supporting long-term digital assets.
He also highlighted Africa’s strategic advantage in critical minerals essential to modern technology production, including cobalt and platinum, positioning the continent as both a consumer and supplier within global digital supply chains.
Demographic trends further strengthen the investment case, he said, adding that Africa is expected to have about 900 million smartphones in use by 2030 and could account for 40 per cent of the world’s youth population by 2050, creating a large base of digital consumers, entrepreneurs, and technology talent.
The official disclosed that the Assembly of Heads of State and Government was working with private-sector stakeholders to ensure that Africa’s growing digital markets translate into industrial development and employment opportunities for young people across the continent.
The fourth edition of GITEX Africa Morocco kicked off from April 7 to 9, 2026, bringing together more than 1,450 exhibiting companies and startups alongside participants from over 130 countries. The 2026 edition has expanded its international footprint, with new participating countries including Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Guinea, Hungary, Luxembourg, Thailand, and Zambia.
Held under the High Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI and under the authority of Morocco’s Ministry of Digital Transition and Administration Reform, the event is hosted by the Digital Development Agency and organised by KAOUN International, the global organiser of GITEX events.
Organisers say this year’s edition places stronger emphasis on implementation and cross-border collaboration, positioning the platform as a meeting point where global technology innovation aligns with Africa’s digital sovereignty ambitions and deployment of scalable solutions across the continent.
The PUNCH