Experts in the digital economy have decried poor investments in digital infrastructure across Africa, noting that the continent currently accounts for only 0.02% of fibre infrastructure deployed globally.
They stated this at the Hyperscalers Convergence Africa conference held in Lagos on Wednesday, adding that Africa currently boasts of just over a million kilometers of fiber network.
For context, Nigeria, which is the most populous country on the continent currently has 35,000km of fibre, according to the Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani.
To bridge the connectivity gap in the country, the government is now seeking funding to build an additional 90,000km of fibre.
Speaking at the conference, the convener, Mr Temitope Osunrinde, said Nigeria and Africa as a whole have been lagging in the digital economy because of the current state of its digital infrastructure.
Wide gap between infrastructure and population
According to Osunrinde, the low level of digital infrastructure is in contrast with the continent’s population.
“For fiber connectivity, we have 0.02% of the world’s infrastructure, yet we have 18% of the world’s population,” he said.
He also pointed out that most of the infrastructure deployed so far in Nigeria is concentrated in cities like Lagos, Abuja, and Port-Harcourt, thereby shutting millions of people in rural areas out of the digital economy.
Corroborating this, the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Precise Financial Systems Ltd (PFS), Dr. Yele Okeremi emphasized the importance of digital infrastructure to Africa’s noting, however, low investment has seen the continent lag in this area.
“Africa’s vast population and immense potential are overshadowed by its digital infrastructure deficit. Despite our efforts, we still lag far behind other regions regarding data center capacity and fiber connectivity,” he said.
Okeremi added that aside from the poor fibre infrastructure, Africa also accounts for less than 1% of the world’s 40 gigawatt data center capacity. “This is a big challenge that must be addressed,” he said.
Ways forward
To address the challenge, the conference participants explored potential solutions such as collaborative partnerships between governments, private sector companies, and international organizations.
They also highlighted the importance of policy frameworks that promote competition, innovation, and affordability.
Specifically, the Regional Executive for West Africa at Africa Data Centres, Dr. Krishnan Ranganath, said all players in the ICT industry would need to “put aside our egos and work together” to address the common challenges facing the industry in Africa.
In agreement, the stakeholders identified power shortages, high energy costs, and limited access to renewable energy sources as major obstacles for data centers and other telecom operations.
They also agreed that the lack of a robust middle-mile infrastructure was preventing the efficient distribution of data traffic across the continent.
The Hyperscalers Convergence Africa conference served as a call to action, inspiring stakeholders to commit to building a more connected and prosperous Africa.
