By Africa’s burgeoning digital economy is on the brink of transformation, as Africa Datacenters & Cloud Days (ADCD), an active community dedicated to the growth of Africa’s digital infrastructure, prepares to convene industry leaders, policymakers, and technology innovators to drive the continent’s data center and cloud computing evolution.
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Hailed by industry analysts as a pivotal platform for collaboration, the upcoming event underscores the critical role of sustainable and reliable IT infrastructure in Africa’s economic future. With Africa’s data center market projected to grow to US$7 billion by 2028[i], at an annual rate of 7 percent, the demand for secure and scalable infrastructure is skyrocketing.
Key drivers include booming digitization, the emergence of hybrid cloud adoption, and heightened awareness around data sovereignty. However, the industry also faces challenges. They range from high startup costs and regulatory hurdles to persistent power reliability issues. An issue that will feature prominently during the event’s panel discussions.
Game-changing platform
Scheduled for February 2025, the eagerly-awaited ADCD 2025 is set to bring together global innovators, thought leaders, and industry professionals from Africa, Middle East and beyond. The two-day event will take place in the beautiful coastal city Hammamet, Tunisia. It is geared towards nurturing collaboration and inspiring innovation in data centers, cloud hosting, and connectivity.
With the rising demand for digital infrastructure in Africa, ADCD presents a golden opportunity for African stakeholders to engage with each other. This is crucial to driving transformation and sustainable growth in the continent. Key topics of discussions will include, digital infrastructure investment, and alternative energies for Africa datacenters. Others are emerging security threats, and AI readiness, among others.
Regional leaders and emerging markets
Leading the charge in the data center and cloud computing revolution is South Africa[ii], hubs such as Nigeria and Kenya are fast-emerging markets, with new hyperscale data centers under construction and substantial investment pouring in. Meanwhile, the North Africa region led by Egypt and Morocco continue to solidify their roles as hubs with significant cloud region developments.
“ADCD 2025 is not just an event; it’s an initiative and an active community behind it working collaboratively towards a stronger, more connected Africa. As a movement aimed at shaping Africa’s digital destiny, our objective is to create solutions that are sustainable, scalable, and transformative by bringing together stakeholders across the continent. This event will offer a much-needed platform to address emerging challenges, explore opportunities, and chart a course for a resilient and sustainable digital infrastructure in the continent,” said Zied Ouled Ali, founder, ADCD.
From panel discussions on attracting capital to workshops on advancing sustainability, the event is designed to foster thought leadership and actionable strategies for stakeholders. With a clear commitment to bolstering Africa’s digital infrastructure, ADCD aims to bridge gaps, ignite innovation, and position the continent as a global leader in data centers and cloud computing.
[i] https://www.daimagister.com/resources/data-centre/
[ii] https://inform.tmforum.org/features-and-opinion/data-center-investment-on-the-rise-in-africa
